Replacing collapsed bridge 'nigh on impossible' cost for council

Replacing a historic former railway bridge across the River Spey would be "nigh on impossible" due to the cost, a councillor has said

The 350ft (107m) Spey Viaduct - an iron girder structure near Garmouth - partially collapsed at the weekend.

Moray Council said initial inspections suggested scour - fast-moving water eroding foundations - appeared to be the cause.

Councillor Marc Macrae said the cost of a replacement for the 1886 bridge would be beyond the council's means.

Moray Council said that at the time of the last inspection report by a specialist contractor, in 2023, there was no evidence of scour.

The Speyside Way - a long-distance trail which traces the River Spey from the Moray Firth to the Cairngorms National Park - passes one end of the bridge.

It is also part of the National Cycle Network.

Councillor Macrae represents the local Fochabers and Lhanbryde ward and is also chairman of Moray Council's economic development and infrastructure services committee.

He told BBC Scotland News he had felt a "state of shock" at what had happened, as the structure had been part of daily life for so long.

After the railway line closed in the 1960s the bridge remained popular with walkers, cyclists and tourists.

"I think the important thing at the minute is to assess the damage that has been done, we need a plan for how we remove the two deck sections that are now in the river," he said.

"And then look to investigate the rest of the structure of the bridge.

"I wouldn't even like to guesstimate a figure to repair the bridge, let alone replace the bridge if necessary."

He said it would be challenging to find the funding to replace the bridge, when competing with other services for money.

"In the current financial climate, it's going to be nigh on impossible," he said.

"I would hope national government if anything would step in here because it's a project way beyond the means of the local authority and the constrained budgets we have at this time."

Mr Macrae said the bridge had been relied on for well over a century, so it was important to find some kind of solution.

"It might not be the iconic bridge because of the cost. But I think the fact these two communities have been linked together for such a long period of time, people will look to see a solution put in place," he said.

"I am very sad that this has happened."

Roddy Robertson, the chairman of Garmouth and Kingston Community Association, said concerns had been raised for more than a decade.

"One of our fears was it would get to this position that we are in today, that the bridge would become unsafe, it would be too expensive to fix, and we would lose that bridge," he said.

"So it's extremely frustrating to see the bridge lost when it possibly could have been saved. Who knows, we won't know that, that's hindsight now I suppose.

"The community is absolutely devastated, yesterday (Sunday) was a bit of grief almost if you like, I know it's a structure, today is now asking questions about why did it happen and where do we go from here."

He said although it was not a road bridge, it brought people to the local communities.

"It's now a nine-mile trek round to get to the same place," he said.

"It's an ideal place to walk.

"Part of me always thinks every cloud has a silver lining, we will see what we can build from this, whether it's a replacement, hopefully something good will come from this."

Moray Council has maintained the bridge since 1968 when the railway line was closed.

The local authority said in a statement on Monday evening: "Engineers have now assessed the Garmouth Viaduct and on initial inspection can confirm the collapse appears to be due to scour.

"It appears that over the last year the river flow path has changed, which may have contributed to a change of impact on the piers.

"We're in the process of instructing a specialist engineer to undertake a more detailed inspection and assessment and hope that this can be progressed before Christmas or early in the new year."

Options will be presented to councillors "as soon as practicably possible".

The statement added: "We're well aware of the strength of feeling in the local community, and further afield, for this bridge and how well used it is by walkers and cyclists."

The bridge will remain closed until further notice.