Building Briefs – January 23rd

• New River Nairn crossing at White Bridge begins to take shape

Construction of the abutments for the new crossing beams is complete and the beams were successfully placed this week. There are four beams in total which were placed in pairs, requiring two crane lifts.

Now that the beams are in place, contractor R J McLeod will proceed with decking out between beams in preparation of concreting casting. Construction of the works is due for completion in early summer 2019.

Works commenced on the £2.65 million project in August 2018 to build a new crossing to replace the White Bridge that spans the River Nairn and realignment of the B9090 route between Clephanton and Cawdor.

White Bridge is one of the oldest bridges maintained by Highland Council and is a ‘Category A’ Listed structure. It has a humped vertical alignment and carries single file traffic in both directions, subject to traffic control signals. During the works the existing route remains open to drivers however, all road users are being reminded that there is an 18T weight limit. Any vehicles exceeding this limit should use the diversion route via the A96, A939 and B9101 roads.

• External works complete at Bearsden primary school

The final external works around St Nicholas’ Primary School in Bearsden are now complete and pupils are enjoying the fantastic outdoor space.

The new £10 million school – built on the site of St Andrew’s Primary to replace it and St Joseph’s Primary – opened its doors to pupils in August 2018.

Since then the old St Andrew’s Primary School building has been demolished, the landscaping completed and the 378 pupils who attend St Nicholas’ are making good use of their outdoor space.

The school’s landscape design gives pupils space to play, learn and take part in sports. It includes a MUGA pitch, a basketball court, a cycle proficiency area and a brand new trim trail.

East Dunbartonshire Council’s development partner hub West Scotland led and managed the design and construction of the project with supply chain partners including architects Holmes Miller and Morgan Sindall.

• Disabilities Trust plans to extend Glasgow hospital

The Disabilities Trust has submitted plans to extend the hospital and accommodation bungalows at Glasgow’s Graham Anderson House.

The Gilling Dod Architects-designed plans will also see the construction of a storage building at the Springburn Road facility.

• Garden pavilion planned at University of Stirling

James Paul Associates has lodged plans for a freestanding canopy pavilion within the courtyard of the University of Stirling’s Cottrell Building.

Under the proposals, the landscaped space will be repurposed as a social and learning hub adjacent to the newly completed bus station, helping to form a unified campus gateway.

Complementary external landscape elements are being undertaken by Ian White Associates.

• Maintenance partnerships boost Dundee performance

A pair of partnerships are consistently delivering better road maintenance and street lighting in Dundee according to two new reports.

The current five-year deals with Tayside Contracts were agreed by Dundee City Council last year and have resulted in consistently low levels of pothole defects and the most reliable street lights of any Scottish city.

The work of the Road Maintenance Partnership (RMP) is monitored and compared with national standards and based on 77 key performance indicators. When compared with other Scottish cities Dundee had the lowest number of the most severe faults and a significantly lower number of claims and claims payments from damage to vehicles caused by carriageway defects.

The ongoing successful street lighting partnership between the council and Tayside Contracts repairs and maintains more than 24,000 street lights in Dundee.

Last year the RMP gained national recognition for its level of service, and operational approach, picking up the annual Association of Public Service Excellence (APSE) Service Award for Best Highways Service Team and being chosen as a finalist for the MJ Award for Highway Management and the APSE Best Performer Award.

Meanwhile the Street Lighting Partnership have scooped prizes for their health and safety approach.

Both reports will be considered by the city development committee on January 28.

• Hawick Flood Scheme timber offer for community projects

A new community timber project will open next month, giving local groups the chance to put trees felled during the Hawick Flood Protection Scheme to a good use.

Community and charitable groups are invited to submit an application to Scottish Borders Council, outlining the details of a project which would use some of the timber and how it would benefit the local community.

The application process will be run in two phases, with the first phase launching on February 11 and offering tree trunks to Borders-wide groups from council-owned land.

The second phase will follow on later this year once further trees are felled in the autumn.

Application forms for phase one will be available from the council’s website with the deadline for submissions April 8.

Applicants will then be advised if they have been successful by the end of May.

• Gas mains works announced in Barrhead

Scottish Gas Network (SGN) will be carrying out essential work in the Victoria Road area of Barrhead, involving the replacement of old, metal gas mains with new plastic pipe.

The project started on Monday and will last approximately 20 weeks. The work will be completed in four phases.