Balmoral Bridge is to close from today (8 October) for a number of months as extensive repairs and improvements are carried out to the structure.

The work, which is vital to ensure the long-term usability of the bridge, will cost around £365,000 and will be undertaken by contractors Diack and Macaulay Ltd. The bridge is expected to re-open at the start of February 2015.

Work will include securing the integrity of the bridge by replacing the deck and swapping the ageing timber with reinforced concrete. It will also be re-painted for added protection. Aberdeenshire Council has said none of the structure's historical elements will be lost through the project.

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While the bridge is closed to traffic for the duration of the scheme, a pedestrian suspension bridge, located slightly downriver of the Balmoral Bridge, will remain open.

Aberdeenshire Council's Head of Roads and Landscape Services, Philip McKay, commented: "Although the number of residents and businesses inconvenienced by the closure is relatively small, we do offer our apologies for any difficulty caused by this essential work.

"We know the route is important and particularly well used in the summertime, with around 60,000 tourists visiting the area from April to June when the castle is open to the public, so doing this work on the bridge in winter should cause less disruption.

"We will try to complete the work as quickly as possible, but as locals will know, the weather may affect the overall length of the project. The scale of the improvements should ensure the future of the bridge for a long time to come and will hopefully mean less inconvenience to road users in the long term."

(JP/MH)