New Kingussie bridge is opened with a fanfare
The newly-opened crossing on the outskirts of Kingussie has been hailed as a bridge that retains its original profile and will serve the community for scores of years to come.
The replacement Ruthven Bridge was formally opened on Friday to all traffic some 18 months after a three-tonne weight restriction had to be placed on it because of safety fears over the structure.
"This is a really good news story," said Badenoch and Strathspey Highland councillor Bill Lobban.
After seeing his colleague Jaci Douglas cut the ribbon, he praised the authority and its contractor Morgan Sindall. "Full credit for the delivery of this new bridge on time and within budget must go to the Highland Council staff involved and the excellent work of the contractor," he said.
"There have been a number of major projects within Badenoch and Strathspey which have not gone to plan," Mr Lobban conceded, " but this time round credit where credit is due."
As the bridge had rotted away last year – with parts of it falling around Spey canoeists at one stage – fears had grown that an emergency replacement would come at the worst possible time for local businesses and emergency services.
But a lot of water has flown under the gap since then and the project has received universal acclaim from the community.
As Morgan Sindall’s team got to work they had swiftly uncovered a time capsule which had been set into the foundations of one pier back in 1894.
Coverage of the event had reached London and the home of Mr Philip Somervail, great grandson of the original bridge contractor, Peter Alexander Somervail. Mr Somervail and his wife Lisa made the trip up from the capital to help commemorate the new structure. "It’s a great thrill to be here," he told the "Strathy".
"We’ve been going through all the old family records, which are extensive, and we have plenty of pictures of the old bridge from back then, complete with design drawings. It’s absolutely fascinating and I’m so pleased that the project has been such a success. It’s a fine bridge."
Also among the invited guests were pupils of Kingussie Primary School, who had put a lot of work into the replacement time-capsule which now awaits the next century’s guests.
Before this year’s restoration, the single-track road bridge - which spans the River Spey linking the B970 and the communities beyond, to Kingussie and the trunk road network - had the three-tonne weight limit which severely restricted local farms, distillery and forestry staff.
The £622,000 project involved replacing the superstructure of the 121-year-old bridge, to ensure it was safe to accept road traffic without weight restrictions for many years to come.
During the works the original stone masonry abutments and piers were repaired where necessary to allow for the new superstructure to be installed.
A quarter of the funding for the project came from Forestry Commission Scotland through the Scottish Timber Transport Scheme, with the rest coming from Highland Council.
