Transport Scotland has started the search for a contractor to replace a 80m section of the Kincardine bridge.

The contract will be let by Transport Scotland as the client, with operating company Bear Scotland overseeing the project on its behalf. Detailed design has been carried out by Jacobs.

The bridge is made up of multiple connected spans, including a piled viaduct at the southern end, which was assessed by civil engineers in 1984.

Since then, the viaduct has been closely monitored, and a steel propping system was installed in 1992 to provide interim structural support, reports Ground Engineering.

The appointed contractor will demolish the bridge’s existing southern piled viaduct and replace it with a new five span structure.

Construction of the new section is expected to take between 18 months and two years, following the conclusion of the tender process later this year.

The work will require the design, provision and maintenance of a two directional temporary structure prior to the southern piled viaduct being demolished.

As the Kincardine Bridge is designated as a category A listed structure, the design team has been liaising closely with Historic Environment Scotland and Falkirk Council.

The new viaduct will be similar in appearance to adjacent spans on the original bridge, with lamp posts and parapets from the demolished viaduct reinstated on the new structure.

The coastline of the Firth of Forth is also designated as a special protection area, ramsar site and site of special scientific interest, so the design team has also been liaising with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, NatureScot and Marine Scotland.

An environmental impact assessment has been prepared to consider the potential cumulative effects of the proposed scheme.

Bear Scotland’s South East unit bridges manager Chris Tracey said: “The replacement of the southern piled viaduct will help to ensure the Kincardine Bridge’s long-term availability for service as a key trunk route.”

Bear Scotland’s priorities for the project are to maintain the structural integrity of the bridge, to ensure the new viaduct is in keeping with the rest of the structure, to keep the trunk road open during construction, and to mitigate the impact on the surrounding environment, said the Ground Engineering.