Cost of temporary Bernera bridge could be £2m – four times the Comhairle’s budgeted figure

The cost of a temporary replacement bridge for Bernera could be up to £2 million – four times the original estimate.
Councillors have been told the cost of a temporary replacement for the Bernera Bridge could be £2m.Councillors have been told the cost of a temporary replacement for the Bernera Bridge could be £2m.
Councillors have been told the cost of a temporary replacement for the Bernera Bridge could be £2m.

The cost is revealed in a report to be considered this week by councillors in the Western Isles.

In August, a weight restriction of 7.5 tonnes was placed on the road bridge to Bernera by Comhairle nan Eilean Siar, after an inspection revealed serious structural problems.

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Comhairle nan Eilean Siar put in a place a budget of £500,000 for an ‘interim solution’ later that month to enable community access and key local services and deliveries to the island via the bridge to continue. 

But a new report on the proposed replacement now says that the the cost of the temporary structure could be up to £2m. 

The report states that the plans for the temporary structure would mean the construction of new abutments to the east of the existing bridge and spanning the water with one steel trussed structure.

The new crossing would have a 30-year lifespan, the report confirms, extendable through appropriate maintenance, giving the Comhairle time to consider a more permanent structure, the report confirms, which may be in the location of the existing bridge.

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But the report also raises concerns over the timetable for completion of the works. With the installation of the new structure taking an estimated 16 weeks from an order being placed, Marine Licencing regulations could add 12 weeks to the project completion time.

The report confirms that the earliest timescale for completion of the works would be January 2021 but this could be extended to April 2021 should the full consultation period for Marine Licencing be required.

A complete structural report on the bridge is expected to be finalised by October 2020.

The report, due to be considered by the Comhairle’s Transport and Infrastructure Committee on Wednesday, says that all bridges in the Western Isles have now been assessed, and a priority list of remedial works compiled, with no immediate concerns regarding capacity or stability.

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