Council agrees to full investigation into Spey viaduct that collapsed into river

Moray Council has agreed to fund a full investigation into the cause of the Spey Viaduct’s collapse, as well as the removal of the broken spans.

Members agreed with officer recommendations to proceed with the £78,000 investigation, more than a month after the much-loved bridge’s collapse.

Transport Scotland have agreed to provide part of the £78,000 cost, leaving Moray Council to pay the remaining £38,000.

The decision was taken at a full Moray Council meeting on Wednesday (January 28), where members thanked council staff for acting swiftly to seal off the dangerous site.

Councillors also agreed to allow officers to try and source external funding for the removal of the two collapsed spans of the bridge, which is estimated to cost £500,000.

Last week, the Scottish Government announced that it would provide £113,000 worth of funding for the Spey Viaduct (also known as Garmouth Bridge), leaving officers to acquire the rest.

The broken spans will need to be removed before the full investigation can take place. Contracts for the work will be issued in February and, if approved, work will begin straight away.

Moray Council has also started to look at alternative active travel routes but nothing has been finalised as of yet.

In a statement, leader of the council Kathleen Robertson (Forres, Conservative) said: “We are committed to continue working closely with residents and partners to explore every option for restoring connectivity along this route.

“This includes investigating the cause of the collapse, assessing whether reinstatement is possible, and identifying the funding needed to support future decisions.

“We know how important certainty is for the community and we will continue to engage with the local community through the steering group and keep the wider public informed as this work progresses.”

Upon initial inspection it was found that two spans of the bridge to the west of the main span had collapsed into the River Spey, after one supporting beam had fallen and the other was leaning.

A report produced by the council revealed that several repairs and a structural survey that were needed more than a decade ago were never completed due to a lack of funds.