14 December 2020

Cambus O May suspension bridge repairs will continue into the start of the New Year

Repair work to the Cambus O May suspension bridge will continue into the first couple of weeks of the New Year.

The Edwardian structure over the River Dee was severely damaged by the floods during Storm Frank at the end of 2015.

It forms part of the Cairngorms National Park’s Core Path network and has always been a popular spot for locals and visitors as it crosses the river at such an eye-catching location.

For the meantime, the public is again being urged to avoid this stretch of the river to allow the works to be completed safely.

Aberdeenshire Council’s Bridges Manager, Donald Macpherson, said today (Mon, Dec 14, 2020): “It has been a major undertaking to repair the Cambus O’ May Suspension Bridge and our thanks go to the contractors Moray Blast for the very impressive work they have undertaken to-date.

“Naturally, everyone would have liked to have had the bridge reopened ahead of the fifth anniversary of Storm Frank, but such projects do take time and it is crucial that we ensure everything is correct.”

The bridge was built in 1905 and was a gift to the public from Alexander Gordon some ten years after his death, along with the Polhollick Bridge and several other buildings in Ballater.

It is a Grade B listed structure, which had to be re-built in 1988 for safety purposes and was then re-opened by Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother.