Transport Minister Keith Brown has unveiled a new addition to the £24m A82 bridge programme.

The finishing touches to a new bridge – which is one of the largest in the improvement programme – has been completed ahead of schedule.

The new £1.8m bridge at Allt Chonoglais, which spans the River Kinglass just south of the Bridge of Orchy, is now open to traffic and has been constructed to meet modern standards and help future proof the A82 trunk road through the north west of Scotland.

Mr Brown, who witnessed the final stages of the project with the removal of the temporary bridge using a 750-tonne crane said: "I'm delighted that this fourth bridge in the Scottish Government's £24 million programme to upgrade road bridges along the A82 is now in place.

"Allt Chonoglais is a remarkable structure and its design has allowed features from the original 1932 bridge, including locally sourced granite, to have been retained on the new 40m span bridge. The design has also ensured we have met the demands of modern day traffic on the A82 without the need to make changes that would impact on the habitat of the riverbank below, including retaining the original bridge supports.

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"The final stage of the scheme, which has been delivered on budget and ahead of schedule, underlines the significant engineering challenge faced during the bridge build, with a 750 tonne crane used to lift the temporary bridge away in sections.

"More widely we are demonstrating our commitment to roads that are vital to supporting communities and businesses along the A82. We are making good progress on work on the A82 at Pulpit Rock with works well under way on this £9.2 million road widening scheme, and the £5 million Crianlarich bypass is well advanced with a contractor appointed and work due to start later this month.

"And on the A83, we announced only last week that the operation and maintenance for the 51 km section of A83 between Campbeltown and Kennacraig will be handed over from Argyll and Bute Council to Transport Scotland ensuring more effective route management.

"These improvements, underscored with the completion of the new Allt Chonoglais bridge reinforces our long term commitment to road users across the north west, and I look forward very much to seeing more work completed in the coming months in meeting our aspiration."

(JP/MH)