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Cloddach bridge closure is ‘cutting communities in half’ say campaigners

Cloddach bridge is expected to close for good.
Moray Council has no money to reopen Cloddach bridge to cars, vans and lorries. Image: Moray Council

Campaigners calling for a road bridge to be reopened will raise their concerns at an upcoming meeting.

Cloddach bridge near Birnie to the south of Elgin has been closed to cars and vans since February.

Inspections at the time found its structure had deteriorated to the extent it was unsafe.

The span over the River Lossie can only be used by pedestrians and cyclists.

Fears have been raised with Moray Council of the detrimental impact on communities in the rural area if the bridge remains shut.

Issues include increased journey times for pupils, impact on business, difficulty travelling to and from work and potential problems for police, ambulance and fire services attending emergency situations.

There are also concerns the closure will put even more pressure on the struggling road network in Elgin with more people travelling through the town.

£2.9m to replace Cloddach bridge

A Cloddach Bridge Action Group has been established on Facebook, and a petition calling for the reopening of the bridge has gained support from more then 700 people.

However replacing the bridge would cost Moray Council almost £3 million.

Members of the economic development and infrastructure committee are being asked not to reopen the bridge and have it demolished when it becomes dangerous.

They are expected to make a decision at a meeting on Tuesday.

It will cost £333,500 to close the bridge for good.

Jo Knight, who lives near Birnie, set up the Facebook group.

A meeting will be held at Cloddach bridge near Birnie on Monday evening to discuss issues surrounding its closure.

She said: “I don’t think the council realise the impact this has on the local community.

“They managed to think out of the box and get a bridge to the beach in Lossiemouth, and of course I understand the benefit of that.

“This is cutting communities in half and the attitude from the council is ‘oh well’.

“We are a rural community but just because there’s less of us doesn’t mean that the bridge shouldn’t be maintained.”

Heldon Community Council has highlighted their issues over the closure with the council.

Chairman Jim Mountford said: “Living on the west of the River Lossie, if that bridge is closed we’re losing a link to the east of the Lossie.

Emergency service access concerns

“The only way of access will be over the Allarburn bridge and there’s been problems with that in the past.

“If anything happened to that bridge how are the emergency services going to reach any disaster on this side?

“There would be no access to this side of the river other than the A96, which would be a huge diversion.

“The best solution would be a new bridge, the second best solution would be to make it suitable to carry emergency vehicles.”

It would cost £2.9 million to replace Cloddach bridge, £2.34 million to repair it to a standard it could carry vehicles or £435,000 making it safe for pedestrians and cyclists.

If the span is reopened to cars and vans it will bring an economic benefit of £74,000 a year to the area.

A decision on the future of the bridge is expected to be made at council meeting on Tuesday.

However money has not been allocated in the capital plan for repair or replacement, and the local authority has to find £20 million of savings over the next two years to balance its budget.

The bridge is seen as low priority as the maximum diversion for people getting to Elgin from Birnie is six miles.

Also the road is not designated as a critical route as there were fewer then 7,000 vehicle movements a day.

Cloddach bridge was built in 1905 with an estimated lifespan of between
100 and 120 years.

Its condition has gradually deteriorated over the last two decades.

£74k economic benefit if bridge is opened

In 2001 a 7.5 tonne weight restriction was applied following a structural assessment.

That was lowered to three tonnes in 2019.

A two meter height restriction was installed about a year ago to stop non-compliant vehicles from crossing the bridge.

But it was repeatedly hit by vans and lorries in the months before it was closed to motorists.

The meeting on Monday will take place at the Cloddach bridge from 7pm.

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