Further misery for Aberdeenshire motorists as bridge on popular route north of Alford closed

With confirmation this week that the B992 between Keig and Premnay will be closed for at least three weeks for repair works to be undertaken after a landslip caused by torrential rain, locals now face another diversion in the Alford area after the Montgarrie Bridge was closed to traffic.

Following comments made on social media about an unannounced closure, local councillor Robbie Withey received an update from the local roads officers.

He explained: “ I've received several messages and emails regarding yesterday's closure of Montgarrie Bridge, and the gossip, rumours that are going around about it. I've held off sharing anything myself until now as I wanted to ensure the information was accurate rather than more speculation. Since yesterday afternoon I've spoken to officers and can provide the following.”, he continued: As part of the post flood checks on bridges in the Alford area engineers came across a partial collapse of the road near Montgarrie Bridge with substantial voids under the road. In the interest of public safety the road was closed to all vehicular traffic under an Emergency closure.

“This is an emergency closure required on grounds of public safety following the initial inspection. Engineers will now assess the extent of the damage and determine an approximate cost of repair which will inform whether rhe repairs can be met from existing budget allocation. There has been no indication yet as to how long the bridge will be closed for, or the extent of what is required to repair it. As such, there is no indication yet as to the cost of repairs or whether that cost can be met from existing budgets. Officers have advised that they will update as soon as further assessments ate complete and more information is available. I will share those updates accordingly.”

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