Moray SNP News

MORAY SNP ELECTED REPRESENTATIVES MEET WITH AMEY REGARDING UNION BRIDGE

AMEY CONFIRM TIMETABLE FOR WORKS

Richard Lochhead MSP met with Amey today alongside Councillor Theresa Coull and Seamus Logan MP’s office to discuss the situation at Union Bridge in Keith.

As well as informing Moray’s MSP about the timetable of works, the company confirmed they will be organising a further meeting with representatives of the local community to bring them up to speed as they progress to work beginning on site.

Amey have confirmed that their procurement process has concluded and that they would be engaging with the contractor over the next two weeks to finalise the programme of works with the aims of being on site in early March and concluding the works in May.

Mr Lochhead urged Amey to continue looking at ways in which the works could be expedited and the importance of keeping the local community updated on progress while Cllr Coull highlighted the significant impact the ongoing traffic measures were having on businesses in Keith and the patience shown by residents and businesses.

Commenting Moray’s MSP Richard Lochhead said:

“It was valuable to meet with Amey and hear first-hand about the complexity and scale of the works required as well as the work undertaken already to get to this stage.

“Amey acknowledged the length of time it had taken to get to this point but made clear the importance of a robust and long term solution to the landslip being put in place which ensures we don’t find ourselves with further issues at the site in the future. As part of this, they informed me that the planned works will also resolve drainage issues with surface water which have occurred in the past on the road.

“I’m grateful to Amey for providing me with a timetable for the works as well as acknowledging the concerns being conveyed by local residents and the impact on trade the temporary traffic lights are having on businesses in Keith.

“I asked Amey to ensure they continue taking on board feedback and requests from the community and I am glad to hear that they plan to hold a further engagement session with local elected representatives, the Community Council, United Keith and businesses in the area in the coming weeks.”

Cllr Theresa Coull added:

“The meeting with Amey was really informative, it is very complex, but they have now procured a contractor to do the work and it is important to ensure stability of the bridge throughout the works.

“They have a timeline which was helpful with the works starting in March, weather permitting, and all going to plan it should be completed by May. They will continue to monitor the traffic lights to alleviate any hold up on the road and I reiterated to them the importance of the completion of the work for the businesses in the area. Thankfully, things are moving on and we are seeing progress.”

Aberdeenshire North and Moray East MP Seamus Logan said:

“I understand the frustrations of the local community with the length of time it has taken for works to get to this stage due to the process which had to be followed rigorously; I am pleased that Amey have now come back to us with a proposed timeline for the works to begin in the next few weeks.

“I am grateful to Amey for their diligence in making sure that every aspect of the work has been thoroughly investigated, making sure that once the works are completed life should return to normal for everyone affected by what was a completely unexpected incident.

“I am also very thankful to the local community for their patience while all the investigations were carried out and hope that the works are trouble-free for all concerned.”