Perth and Kinross Council has announced that work is now underway on a project to reinstate a pedestrian footpath that will re-connect the A9 underpass at Dunkeld and the Inver Road after it was washed away during Storm Babet.

The council is working in partnership with Transport Scotland, BEAR Scotland and the National Trust for Scotland.

Preparatory works were completed last week and rock protection bags are being prepared at a site near Ballinluig. These are used to protect bridges and river banks from scour damage, which is where material is removed from a river bank or bed by water.


A winch will be used to pull the old footbridge out of the river before the bags are then placed in the river using a crane.

Once started, the works will be undertaken using the maximum shifts possible until the path connection between the Inver Road and underpass is complete.

The old footbridge will be inspected when safely on dry land to determine whether it can be salvaged and inform any future discussions about replacement.

All partners - the Council, Transport Scotland, Bear Scotland, Forestry Land Scotland and the National Trust for Scotland - continue to work together to ensure the path reinstatement is completed as quickly as possible.

This will be safer than alternatives involving creating temporary crossing points on the A9 which would take a similar time to implement.

The longer-term question about permanent lighting to the road junction is being looked at separately.