Leven Road bridge to re-open next month

Network Rail has announced a date for the opening of the new River Leven Road (Bawbee) bridge following completion of work to rebuild the section above Leven station.

At 10:00 on Monday, December 4 the road will be fully re-opened to traffic, with engineers progressing work on the car park area of the new Leven station.

The road diversion that has taken vehicles across the temporary road bridge and onto the existing road network via the new roundabout at South Street (B932) will close and the bridge over the river will be removed.

Sitting above the new Leven station car park, the A955 road bridge was completely rebuilt as the original structure showed significant signs of chlorine contamination and corrosion. A long-term weight restriction from the carriageway was removed following the reconstruction of the bridge.

Fife Council funded the replacement bridge, which was delivered as part the wider railway work programme. Carrying out the work ahead of the railway opening reduced cost and delivered more efficiently.

Sean Clemie, Network Rail’s project manager for bridge works, said: “The completion of work on the Bawbee bridge and the full reopening of the road are important steps forward for the project and the local community.

“Throughout the work, we have had significant interest from the community, with many people following its progress and turning out to watch key construction events such as the demolition and craning-in of the beams and parapets.

“The rail work now focuses on progressing the car park for the new Leven Station – with the first step being to remove the temporary diversion route and temporary road bridge.”

Councillor Colin Davidson, of Fife Council’s Levenmouth Area Committee, said: “It’s been great to watch the work to replace the bridge progress so well. And it’s great that we are now in a position where we can confirm that the road will reopen at the start of December.

“The replacement structure improves our local road network and removes the need for a weight restriction on the bridge.

“We appreciate the patience shown by local residents and the business community throughout this project and I’d like to thank Fife Council’s transportation staff for their support during this difficult and complex project.”