Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Fresh damage to Gairnshiel Bridge in Royal Deeside prompts renewed calls for replacement

Councillor Geva Blackett inspects damage inflicted on the 18th century structure in 2018
Councillor Geva Blackett inspects damage inflicted on the 18th century structure in 2018

Fresh damage to a historic bridge in Royal Deeside has fuelled demand for a replacement to be built.

The A-listed Gairnshiel Bridge on the A939 Tomintoul to Ballater road is once again in need of repair following a recent bump which loosened stonework.

A weight restriction has been in place on the 18th century structure since December 2016, but Aboyne, Upper Deeside and Donside Councillor Geva Blackett says this is being “ignored”.

“The next hit could mean a closure”, said Mrs Blackett. “This beautiful bridge is constantly being damaged. My worry is that one day the cumulative damage will be so great the council will have no alternative but to close the road to allow for urgent structural repairs.”

The bridge is part of two proposed new tourist routes – the Snow Road and the NE250 – and Mrs Blackett thinks its closure would have a “huge” economic impact on the area.

Mrs Blackett said: “Drivers would be forced to take a 40-mile detour from the A93 back on to the A939 going north and vice versa.”

In a plea to drivers of vehicles over 18 tonnes, she said: “Please stop using this bridge because it is extremely destructive.

“This beautiful Grade A-listed bridge has a weight limit imposed which is sadly being ignored by drivers and consequently is constantly being badly damaged.”

Mrs Blackett has long been the advocate of a new bridge in the area to ensure the sustainability of tourism traffic.

She said: “You wouldn’t allow people to keep sitting on and breaking a Chippendale chair; you would encourage people to admire the craftsmanship of the 18th century chair and provide a functional one to sit on.

“This bridge is no different and is an important part of our heritage.”

The bridge was created in 1753 to form part of the Old Military Road, which connected Blairgowrie and Fort George, following the Jacobite Uprising eight years earlier.

Aberdeenshire Council’s bridges and structures manager Donald Macpherson last night said: “We are regularly monitoring the structural condition of the bridge and are presently determining remedial options and appropriate timescales.

“In the meantime, there is an 18-tonne vehicle weight restriction in place on this bridge and we would urge all affected drivers to observe this, use the clearly signed diversion route if necessary and respect this historic bridge.”