Highland Council has confirmed Torvean Swing Bridge in Inverness will reopen on Thursday afternoon
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Highland Council has confirmed the new Torvean Bridge on the A82 will reopen on Thursday afternoon.
The bridge, part of the multimillion-pound West Link project, is meant to ease congestion on the Caledonian Canal and busy trunk road by operating in tandem with the older Tomnahurich Bridge – but has been largely closed since being apparently completed last month.
The council previously confirmed there were a number of “snagging issues” to be dealt with and yesterday said these should be resolved by Thursday afternoon of this week and the bridge “fully functional” from then.
It has been claimed damage was done to the bridge’s sliding mechanism when it was being fitted and that a bollard was put in the wrong position, meaning a second worker has to be on site to stop the bridge from opening too far.
The council, however, has refused to reveal details over exactly what work is being carried out.
A spokesman said: “There is no residual damage to the bridge – parts were impacted on commissioning but they have been replaced, this is perfectly normal for works of this type.”
He added: “We have works to do in the future regarding changing seals to a bearing but that will be done in the evening when the canal is shut, so will not impact road users.”
The firm that supplied the bridge, Cleveland Bridge, also confirmed this week that it has gone into administration, but the council spokesman said this, “while regrettable”, would have no impact on maintenance or ongoing liability regarding guarantee of the bridge.
“Cleveland Bridge are one of the many sub-contractors engaged by the principal contractor...they are not employed directly by the Highland Council,” he said.
READ: Highland Council admits 'snagging issues' on new Torvean Swing Bridge behind long delays on the A82
