Media centre

Tuesday 25 Feb 2020

Work complete on Old Kilpatrick bridge despite storms

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Network Rail has completed the installation of a temporary bridge over the railway on the A814 Dumbarton Road in Old Kilpatrick.

Despite the best efforts of both Storm Ciara and Storm Dennis to blow the work off-course, a temporary ‘bailey bridge’ solution was put in place to maintain traffic flow on this busy section of road.

The condition of the existing bridge structure is deteriorating and is no longer fit for purpose for the weight and volume of traffic which crosses the bridge on a daily basis.

The new structure sits over the existing one on two new concrete foundations set back from the current bridge. Ramps were constructed on either side and the road alignment was improved  to improve site lines. The temporary bridge represents an investment of circa £1m to maintain the road link.

Visiting the work site, Gil Paterson MSP said; “While the disruption to the road and bus network was inconvenient for the local community and road users,  I am grateful to Network Rail for getting the job done and the road re-opened as quickly as possible – despite two weekends of horrible weather.

“It was great to visit the bridge and meet the team on the ground who delivered the work and hearing how they overcame the wind and rain from tow storms to complete the work .  Well done to all involved.”

Andy Sinclair, Network Rail programme manager for the bridge replacement work said, “While it is unusual for us to install a temporary structure in these circumstances, the deteriorating condition of the existing bridge meant that doing nothing was not an option.

“Following the postponement of the first and largest bridge lift due to Storm Ciara, and the impact of Storm Dennis, we had extended the length of the road closure but,  despite the horrible weather conditions, the team worked around the clock to complete installation of the bridge and reinstatement of the carriageway and we were able to open the road on Tuesday morning (18 Feb) at 6am.

“It was a fantastic effort by the team to get this done and minimise disruption for the local community and we are grateful for everyone’s patience during this work.”

Traffic management is in place at the bridge until the end of March.