Transport Scotland has moved swiftly to complete essential work on two swing bridges and ensure they are both operational by the time the Caledonian Canal reopens for business.

The Fort Augustus swing bridge on the A82 and the Banavie swing bridge on the A830 have been repaired and refurbished during the Canal's short winter shut-down.

The Caledonian Canal reopens to water traffic on March 23, giving Transport Scotland only a brief window to undertake the £800,000 work.

Steelwork inside the deck structure was repaired and repainted at the A82 Fort Augustus swing bridge due to corrosion caused by water. The work involved the removal of the steel ingots which provide counterweight to balance the bridge at its pivot support. The steelwork was repaired and repainted before the bridge counterweights were replaced and the hatch on the bridge deck was sealed.

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Traffic continued to operate on a single lane on one half of the bridge while the work was carried out. Work at Fort Augustus was completed one week ahead of schedule.

The A830 Banavie Swing Bridge is located at the base of the Neptune Locks and substantial renewal of the drive and control systems of the swing bridge was required. A standby generator was also installed and the control cabin and plant room were reconstructed. Associated cabling and pipework was also replaced.

Charles Wood, Bridge Engineer at Transport Scotland said: "It was vital we carried out this work now to ensure the future reliability of the bridge and avoid traffic delays on our trunk roads.

The Caledonian Canal has been drained and closed to traffic between January and March this year, so we only had a short period of time to get these jobs done.

Mr Wood said teams have worked around the clock to meet the deadlines posed by the reopening of the Canal to water traffic.

Abutment supports and slope protection at Banavie Bridge was also repaired while the Canal was closed.

Both schemes were managed by Scotland TranServ on behalf of Transport Scotland.

The Caledonian Canal links Inverness to Fort William via Loch Ness and is traversed by four swing bridges carrying trunk road traffic along its 60 mile length.

(GK/JM)