Campaigners hope a long-awaited £220,000 construction project will help safeguard the economy of a north-east coastal village.
Aberdeenshire Council will begin work to replace a historic crossing in Cruden Bay on Monday.
Ladies Bridge, which was constructed in 1922 after a fundraising drive led by local women, is the village’s only link to its award-winning sands.
However, it has been closed on a number of occasions in recent years amid fears it could collapse with potentially fatal consequences.
Last night, local leaders were hopeful that the project – first discussed in 2002 – would boost Cruden Bay businesses, many of which benefit from passing trade in the summer.
Hugh McIntyre, the chairman of the village’s community association, said: “The general view is that, while there will be a level of inconvenience, in the long-term it will remove a risk to the amenities of the village.
“The bridge is important to businesses. When the bridge was closed there was a significant drop in passing trade because people mostly come to the beach.”
Cruden Bay councillor Stephen Smith said he was delighted work was finally ready to start.
“We’ve had several occasions in the past few years where the bridge has had to be closed for safety reasons due to its condition and it stopped being financially viable to carry out major repairs,” Mr Smith said.
“It has taken many years of campaigning and persuasion to get Aberdeenshire Council to commit the funding for a replacement bridge.”
Stuart Pratt, chairman of the council’s Buchan area committee, said he hoped the crossing would be re-opened in time for the summer holidays.
He said: “Every time the bridge had to be closed, as well as the inconvenience to locals and tourists, local businesses suffered a downturn in trade as visitors just moved on elsewhere.”