Bridge in Douglas Ross's constituency gets £1.5m for repairs

Due to structural concerns a three-tonne weight limit was introduced on the Cloddach Bridge before vehicles were eventually banned from using it

A road bridge in the Scottish Conservative leader's constituency has been given £1.5m in the Spring Budget.

The Cloddach Bridge near Elgin was closed to vehicles in February last year due to its poor condition.

Moray Council said it would cost £3m to replace and is not a priority given the low number of vehicles using the route.

Douglas Ross, who is the MP for Moray and lobbied for the UK government to step in, said he was "absolutely delighted" with the funding.

The award to Moray Council is subject to a business case being developed for the repairs.

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Chancellor Jeremy Hunt announced £320m for public spending in Scotland in the next financial year.

Mr Ross said the government funding would help accelerate the re-opening of the bridge

The Cloddach Bridge, which crosses the River Lossie, was built in 1905 with an estimated lifespan of up to 120 years.

Previous Moray Council reports suggest it would require significant refurbishment or a replacement, costing about £3m.

Last month it was agreed the bridge would remain open to pedestrians and cyclists for another two years whilst the structure's condition was monitored.

A Moray Council traffic survey undertaken in 2020 showed the average number of vehicles crossing the bridge each day was less than 800.

Height restriction barriers and cameras were installed on the bridge to try and enforce vehicle restrictions before access was eventually limited to pedestrians and cyclists

Mr Ross said he directly lobbied the chancellor ahead of the budget to see if the UK government could provide funding assistance.

He said: "While the bridge obviously will only be re-opened when it is safe to do so, the UK government's funding will help to accelerate that process.

"Now that the chancellor has stepped up, the onus is on the SNP-Green government to work closely with Moray Council and play their part in delivering the further funding required to support the re-opening."

The bridge was closed to vehicles in February 2022, with the Council's latest position set out here.

Moray Council leader Kathleen Robertson welcomed the bridge funding and said she looked forward to finding out more details from the UK government.

She said: "We'll continue to work with the community to support efforts to identify further funding for the wider project to assure reinstatement of future vehicular access."