MORAY MOTORISTS WHO regularly travel the A96 to Aberdeen could soon find one of the most notorious bottlenecks in the journey removed.
The Inveramsay Bridge had for many years carried the main Aberdeen to Inverness rail line over the A96 – with traffic under the road brought to a standstill as it had to be controlled by traffic lights.
Now a £10million improvement project has passed a major milestone when contractor Balfour Beatty put in place 14 precast concreate beams over the railway line. The beams, weighing in at around 30 tonnes and 20m in length, where lifted into place overnight to avoid any major disruption to rail services.
Constructed to the north of the existing A96, the bridge will greatly improve travel times and safety for motorists on the busy trunk road.
Transport Minister Derek MacKay said: “The installation of the bridge beams marks a significant milestone for the Inveramsay Bridge Improvement project, which will help to remove congestion and improve journey times for road users travelling along the A96.
“We have made clear our commitment to the north east by progressing with this important scheme and by improving transport infrastructure in the north and the north east of Scotland.
“This project along with progress made on dualling the A96 and A9 as well as the commitment to progress the AWPR represents billions of pounds of investment.
“The work being carried out on the Inveramsay Bridge will cut congestion, improve journey time reliability and traffic flows, while reducing the likelihood of bridge strikes, which can cause disruption to both road and rail users.”
The new bridge is scheduled to be fully completed by the Spring of next year.
