MORE money needs to be spent on the inspection of the 1,100 road bridges which are the responsibility of Scottish Borders Council.

That is the stark message of a report which will be presented to the council’s watchdog scrutiny committee tomorrow (Thursday).

Last year the council spent £1.9m on planned and reactive maintenance of the bridge network, much of which was not designed to deal with current volumes and weight of traffic.

While a similar amount has been allocated in SBC’s new capital plan, only £100,000 has been proposed in the current financial year for bridge inspections.

In his report, Colin Ovens, infrastructure manager, highlights two examples of local bridges where serious risks have only recently been identified in surveys by private consultants – at Clackmae on the back road from Earlston to Lauder and at Lowood Bridge to the east of Galashiels.

“Early indications show that Clackmae is in very poor condition,” says Mr Ovens. “Engineers are assessing the extent of repairs requiring, but these may be significant, around £500,000.

“Lowood Bridge, which carries significant traffic movement between Melrose and Galashiels, is also showing signs of deterioration.

“The parapet walls have a severe lean, the north arch has significant cracking and both arches have extensive areas of mortar loss.

“The cost of repairs will be significant for this structure, access will be particularly difficult and any closures of the bridge will have significant impact on the surrounding area. Repairs could be circa £800,000.”

Mr Ovens notes that these previously unidentified required works “create pressure on the council and demonstrate that the annual budget may be insufficient to perform the required level of inspections and undertake all the works required, competing as it does against other council priorities”.

Councillors will hear that the Code of Practice for Management of Highway Structures (CoPMHS) – the template for Scottish local authorities – demands that 100% of principal and general inspections of bridges should be carried out on time (ever six years and every two years respectively).

“This will present resource challenges,” says Mr Ovens adding: “There is a risk that by not carrying out regular inspections, as per the CoPMHS, the condition of the bridge asset remains unquantifiable.

“There is a risk a bridge may fail causing serious injury or loss of life and require road closures to be implemented, perhaps leading to long diversions and significant disruption to communities in the Borders.

“There is also a risk that repair costs will significantly increase with time.

“While the perception that the current risk to the public is minimal, the recommended bridge inspections are required to demonstrate that the risk to the council is minimised.”

Councillors are due to consider the results of a root and branch review of the region’s roads and bridges in November.

“The review should identify additional resources in order that inspections, in line with CoPMHS recommendations, can be carried out…with a balanced approach to risk and planned investment,” states Mr Ovens.