Elgin's Flood Prevention Scheme Starts Next Week

Another key element of Elgin's £86million flood alleviation scheme is set to be swung into place next week.

A new bridge for pedestrians and cyclists will be hoisted into position over the River Lossie on December 11.

The 25metre single span wooden decked bridge will link the Bishopmill area with Elgin town centre and will be installed on the site of its predecessor at the south end of Bridge Street.

The steel superstructure of the new bridge, weighing nearly 30 tonnes, has been fabricated off-site by Huddersfield-based CTS Bridges and will be lifted into position by crane.

Once that is completed 10 sets of utility ducts, carrying services such as electricity, gas and telecoms, will be connected.

The substructure is reinforced concrete on top of the old masonry abutments of the old bridge.

The bridge, which is scheduled to open next April, will be slightly arched and the parapets will be painted red to match the distinctive colour of the old parapets which have been dismantled and which will be relocated nearby along a new cycleway which is being created alongside the river.

Work on the Elgin scheme, which will protect hundreds of homes and businesses from flooding, began in April 2011 and is due for completion next year.

Current estimates are that it will be completed more than £1.5million under budget.

Councillor George Alexander, who chairs Moray Council's flood alleviation sub-committee, said the installation of the new bridge and associated works represented one of the last major elements of the overall scheme.

"The end of the project - the biggest flood scheme ever built in Scotland - is now in sight," he said.

"The heavy rain that we had back in August showed that the scheme does what it was intended to do and that is to save families and business owners from the heartache of flooding.

"They have had more than their share of that in the past and they will be both delighted and relieved to see the Elgin scheme coming to a conclusion."