End of the road for cars on Kalemouth Suspension Bridge

A report has concluded it would not be "value for money" to let cars back on a historic Borders bridge.

The Kalemouth Suspension Bridge - built in the 1830s - was shut to vehicles in August 2020 after "substantial decay" was found in its timber deck.

Further investigations saw pedestrian numbers limited to 10 at a time.

The council has agreed to carrying out work to lift that restriction but decided spending £4m to allow cars to use it again could not be justified.

The bridge near Eckford was designed and built by Capt Samuel Brown who also built the Union Chain Bridge linking Scotland and England.

It carries an unclassified road over the River Teviot and, prior to its closure, allowed single-file traffic - weighing less than three tonnes - to cross between the A698 and about 12 properties in Ormiston Mains.

Tests undertaken a little over three years ago found the category A listed structure no longer demonstrated "sufficient strength" to cope with such loads.

It has meant people living in the small settlement nearby have had to take alternative routes - the maximum diversion being seven miles (11km).

A full refurbishment of the Union Chain Bridge cost about £10.5m and Scottish Borders Council (SBC) estimates that a similar project at Kalemouth - which is about half the span - would cost about £4m.

It said that made the scheme "cost prohibitive".

Instead, it has agreed to renew the timber elements to allow it to be safely used by pedestrians and cyclists only.

However, the council currently has a capital budget of just £750,000-a-year allocated to bridge improvement work across its entire network of about 1,200 bridges.

It is hoped that it can secure some external funding towards the £1m cost of the Kalemouth work.

A report to the local authority's executive committee warned that failure to carry out the upgrade could force the bridge to shut completely.

It also warned that it was difficult to estimate exact costs at the design stage and they could ultimately exceed £1m.

One regular bridge user, who did not wish to be named, told the BBC that the situation caused significant problems for residents.

"The permanent closure of the bridge at Eckford is a huge inconvenience to residents and visitors," she said.

"The extra miles that they have to divert and travel is hardly great for climate change.

"It is ridiculous that a so-called major country cannot find a way to do basic repairs."

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