Pivotal moment for new £3.8 million Gairnshiel Bridge

Construction of Aberdeenshire Council’s new £3.8 million Gairnshiel Bridge by Wills Bros Civil Engineering Ltd on Royal Deeside took a massive step forward this week as the two main bridge deck beams – each weighing an impressive 100 tonnes - were lifted into place using a Liebherr LG 1550 mobile crane which took two days to build on site.

Supported by around 14 articulated delivery vehicles, once assembled the 550-tonne capacity crane delicately lifted the beams onto the bridge’s temporary bearings where they were locked in place to allow for deck construction of the bridge itself.

A group of Primary 6 and 7 pupils from nearby Ballater Primary School enjoyed a front seat view of the lift as they were given special access to a safe viewing area alongside local councillors.

The school, together with Crathie and Strathdon primaries, will all be receiving a special K’Nex bridge building kit from Wills Bros to ignite their interest and inspire potential young engineers of the future.

Several weeks earlier, six sections of the existing A939 route between Torbeg and Gairnshiel Bridge were surveyed and a new alignment designed by Wills Bros to ensure the crane could safely navigate to the site.

Bridges Manager at Aberdeenshire Council, Donald MacPherson, said: “This was certainly a key moment in the construction of the new Gairnshiel Bridge and our thanks go to all who were involved in completing the installation safely. This new structure will ensure local residents and visitors alike can continue to enjoy the delights the area has to offer while providing improved journey times and reliability.”

Jonathan Wills, Director of Wills Bros Civil Engineering Ltd, added: “We are delighted to be delivering this important project on behalf of Aberdeenshire Council.

The placement of these two huge bridge beams marks a key milestone in this much anticipated project which, when

complete, will benefit both the local community and visitors to the area."

The existing Grade A-listed structure – built in the mid-1700s – is no longer suitable for modern day traffic and with ever-increasing volumes of vehicles and larger, heavier loads, the bridge has suffered significant damage over many years.

However this ‘faithful old servant’ will be retained for use by non-motorised users.

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