Four gigantic metal beams are being transported through Deeside in a major milestone on the £3.8 million Gairnshiel Bridge replacement project.
Construction work on the new crossing at the River Gairn north of Ballater commenced in April this year, and is due to be finished by February.
Progress on the structure has been on schedule so far, with abutments on either side of the waterway almost finished.
Next month, four massive beams will be lowered into place by crane across the river, finally creating a new crossing at Gairnshiel since the original 18th century bridge was first built.
But before that happens, the bulky beams will need to be carefully transported all the way from the Aberdeen Bypass to the construction site.
What route are the bridge beams taking to Gairnshiel?
There are four beam sections being moved in total, two that weigh 67 tonnes, and two that weigh 25 tonnes.
Aberdeenshire Council said they are being transported in two pairs of one big and one smaller at a time.
They are travelling north along the A90 from Perth to Dundee, and then north to Aberdeen and along the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route (AWPR).
In order to avoid certain roads due to the sheer size of the beam sections and the lorries carrying them, they are avoiding heading west at Milltimber, and are instead travelling to Deeside by first turning off the AWPR at Westhill, and then going to Banchory via Garlogie.
After they reach Banchory, the convoys will be heading west along the A93 Aberdeen to Ballater road, before going north-west along the A939 Ballater to Tomintoul to the construction site at Gairnshiel.
The first pair arrived in Banchory on Tuesday night, and made their way west to safely arrive at the site this Wednesday morning.
The second pair are due to move up to Stracathro later today, and then move from Stracathro to the site on Thursday morning.
The council said: “We apologise for any inconvenience while this critical work takes place, and please allow extra time for your journey if travelling on the route on the days indicated.”
Why is a new Gairnshiel Bridge being built?
The old 18th century bridge was originally built for horses, but has been used for decades by motorised traffic.
It is a crucial part of the A939, a vital link between Deeside and Donside, but has repeatedly been shut due to damage and wear and tear caused by heavy vehicles over the years.
Whenever it is closed for repairs, motorists are forced to take extremely lengthy diversions, causing headaches for residents and a severe impact on the local economy.
The new £3.8 million bridge is being built to make such closures and diversions a thing of the past, and help to preserve the historically important A-listed original bridge for future generations.
‘Most complex’ project council bridge chief has ever worked on
Due to the remote location of the construction site, there have been all sorts of challenges for Aberdeenshire Council and contractors Wills Bros Civil Engineering to overcome in building the new structure.
Donald Macpherson, bridges manager at Aberdeenshire Council, says building a new Gairnshiel Bridge has been the “most complex” project he’s ever worked on.
As well as the challenge of delivering the massive beams to the site, Donald explained getting the specialised crane to Gairnshiel next month will also be extremely tricky.
In order to get the huge, eight-axle vehicle to the location, work has had to be done to reprofile the bumpy, single-track A939 road between Ballater and Gairnshiel in order to make it flat enough so the crane can make the journey.
Find out more about progress on the new bridge in this article, full of photographs of progress so far.
Photos: Gairnshiel Bridge replacement on track for completion by February
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