18 June 2019

Mearns rail over road bridge reopened after quick replacement of critical sign

A critical height restriction sign which was knocked off a low railway bridge in the Mearns last week has been quickly replaced, allowing the minor road running below it to reopen.

It is thought the sign, on the Lower Powburn Bridge, was struck by a vehicle using the C-class road from Fordoun and Auchenblae to the A90 last Thursday.

Motorists have been using the minor road to avoid the official local diversion necessary due to the demolition of Abbeyton Bridge and the temporary closure of the Fordoun Rail Bridge.

The emergency closure yesterday of the main north east rail line at Balfeith illustrated perfectly the risk posed to the railway line by vehicles using bridges inconsiderately.

The bridge at Balfeith was also struck by a vehicle and Network Rail engineers had to inspect it before allowing trains to use it again.

The height restriction at Lower Powburn and at other railway bridges across Scotland must be observed for the safety of motorists and of course the trains and passengers on the line.

Aberdeenshire Council engineers worked in partnership with Network Rail to reinstate the sign as quickly as possible, while also checking the bridge itself for damage caused by the collision.

A new sign was quickly manufactured and fixed onto the bridge on Monday morning, allowing the road to reopen well ahead of the originally anticipated date.

As the bridge is owned by Network Rail special agreement has to be obtained before council engineers can work on it.

The bridge is only 3.5m (12 feet) high, so the height restriction signage is critical to alert drivers to the potential of striking the bridge, which clearly has safety implications for the railway.

Aberdeenshire Council’s Bridges Manager, Donald MacPherson, said: “The damage caused to this sign and how it was detached from the bridge leads us to believe it was caused by a slow moving vehicle which was too high to use the bridge. Luckily the sign took the impact and there was no damage to the structure itself.

“Motorists need to remember it is their responsibility to know the height of their vehicles and to be vigilant when passing under low headroom bridges, checking their height against those given on the signage.”

Chairman of Aberdeenshire Council’s Infrastructure Services Committee, Peter Argyle, said: “While we are happy to reopen the road again due to its convenience for local traffic no bigger than cars and small vans, given other restrictions currently in place in the area it is imperative that the height restriction signs are complied with.

“The safety of the railway will remain paramount at all times, even where that may cause inconvenience for local motorists.”

A list of all the low headroom bridges in Aberdeenshire can be found in the Bridges section of Aberdeenshire Council’s website.