Vital bridge suddenly closes cutting town in HALF and forcing drivers on six-mile diversion

A VITAL bridge has suddenly closed causing a town to be cut in half and forcing drivers on a six-mile diversion.

The Kirkcudbright Bridge in southern Scotland has shut, leaving motorists in one residential area stranded from the rest of the town.

Locals living in the Merse area, on the western side of the River Dee, will now be forced to drive an extra six-miles in order to reach the town centre.

The closure was announced late on Friday after structural engineers reported security concerns with the 99-year-old bridge.

Dumfries and Galloway Council said it would be working with the local community, emergency services and transport providers to “minimise disruption”.

In a notice the council said: “We fully appreciate the inconvenience this closure may cause and are engaging with the local community and partners – including emergency services and transport providers – to minimise disruption during this closure.”

Built in 1926, the bridge was erected to provide a direct route west out of Kikcudbright.

Earlier this year, a temporary 7.5-tonne weight limit was introduced in response to ongoing breaches of the previous 17-tonne limit.

This followed findings from inspections by the council’s engineering consultant, Mott MacDonald, which highlighted structural limitations in the bridge and required prompt action.

Despite early efforts to protect the structure and limit weight on the crossing, ongoing monitoring has shown that several heavy goods vehicles – with a weight well in excess of safe limits – have continued to use the route.

Local motorists have been left fuming and have launched a petition to keep the bridge open.

An online post reads: “The current discussion of closing it does not consider the livelihood of local residents.

“Many people residing west of the town, who use it daily to get to work, schools, or attend health and social appointments stand to be affected adversely.

“Furthermore, considering the potential delay the closure may cause to Emergency Services, which would require an 11-mile detour to reach their destination, it becomes a public safety issue.

“Instead of temporary closure, we propose a maintained one-way traffic system to ensure accessibility while addressing the bridge's issues.

“Let's put community needs and public safety first.”

Cyclists and pedestrians will still be able to use the crossing but motorists have been advised to use the Tongland Bridge further up north instead.