A £3m project to renew an ageing railway bridge in Laurencekirk will begin next week, Network Rail has announced.

The bridge, which carries Blackiemuir Avenue over the Dundee to Aberdeen line, will be replaced with a new structure to keep the busy route safe and reliable for years to come.

Work is scheduled to start on Monday 2 November and continue until the end of March 2027, as part of Network Rail's ongoing programme of maintaining and renewing structures across Scotland's Railway.

Preparatory activity to remove the bridge will run between now and January, ahead of two weekend closures of the railway between Montrose and Laurencekirk. Demolition of the existing bridge is planned from 16 to 18 January, with the new structure to be installed the following weekend, 23 to 25 January.

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To manage the impact locally, Blackiemuir Avenue will be closed to vehicles and pedestrians from 14 November until 23 February, with signed diversion routes in place.

Following feedback at a community drop-in event in August, the signed pedestrian diversion has been designed to avoid the Back Settlement level crossing. As an additional precaution, a crossing steward will be on site during weekday peak periods, Monday to Friday.

Allison Flanagan, project manager at Network Rail Scotland, said: "Bridges are an essential part of the railway and, like any structure, they need to be looked after and renewed over time. Our job is to plan it carefully, get the work done safely and keep the impact on people as manageable as we can.

"We've had really useful conversations with people in Laurencekirk and we're grateful for the way the community has engaged with us. We've taken that feedback onboard in our planning and we'd like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding while we carry out this important work."

The Blackiemuir Avenue scheme is the first of two bridge renewals in Laurencekirk, with work on the Station Road bridge expected to follow from November 2027. Delivering the projects separately will help reduce disruption.