Crumbling bridges fears spark funding calls

SERIOUS concerns have been raised over public safety risks posed by ageing and under-inspected bridges across Dumfries and Galloway.

And councillors are now calling on the Scottish Government to act before it’s too late.

A motion tabled at Dumfries and Galloway’s full council meeting last week warned that bridges across the region are critical lifelines for communities, businesses and emergency services — and that the consequences of failure are real.

Annandale North Councillor Carolyne Wilson, who proposed the motion, said: “Our bridges are not optional extras. They are critical links. When a bridge is restricted, downgraded or closed, the impacts are immediate — longer journeys, increased costs for businesses, delays for emergency services and real disruption for residents.”

She pointed to the situation at Kirkcudbright Bridge as a warning of what can happen when problems go undetected.

“Beyond inconvenience, this is fundamentally an issue of public safety,” she said.

“We’re talking about structures that people rely on every single day. Structures must be safe, inspected on time, and properly maintained. And if that does not happen, the risk is real.”

Labour councillors highlighted the fact that bridge maintenance backlog across Scotland’s local authorities stands at more than £918 million — and that the Scottish Government chose not to renew the local bridge maintenance Fund in 2023, the very year that research exposed the scale of the crisis.

Dumfries and Galloway faces heavier pressures than most other councils, with 1500 bridges spread across a large rural region.

Dee and Glenkens councillor John Denerley supported the motion, saying: “There are a lot of issues that are having a huge impact on people and businesses in the region and we are also seeing older people disproportionately affected, especially those living in rural areas when we have issues with flooding or landslips.

“Thinking about farm vehicles, the heavier vehicles, especially those that are encountering smaller bridges and older bridges — they obviously need to be checked. We’re protecting our rural workers as well.”

Karen Brownlie, the council’s assistant director of transport and infrastructure, confirmed a review of bridges and structures is currently underway, with an interim report due in September.

Councillors agreed the motion unanimously, calling on the Scottish Government to reinstate the local bridge maintenance fund as a multi-year capital programme and to work with COSLA on a strategic bridge renewal programme aimed at delivering a year-on-year reduction in the national backlog.