Plans for a £20m pedestrian bridge as part of a £54m package of works to the A9 and A904 in Falkirk have been dropped amidst concerns about escalating costs.
A total budget of up to £54m was approved for work to Westfield roundabout that Balfour Beatty is lined up to carry out. This included a four-platform aerial walkway that was described by the council as ‘iconic’ but has now been dropped due to being ‘unaffordable’.
The council had secured a £20m grant from the first round of the Levelling Up Fund (LUF) for what it describes as ‘extensive active travel facilities’. This included the proposed bridge.
‘Funding of £14.1m from LUF has been retained following the changes to the project,’ said a council spokesperson.
‘All remaining elements of the project including carriageway improvements, new roundabout junctions, active travel links with pedestrian/cycle crossing points and comprehensive landscaping proposals will still proceed as planned.’
The council approved the rest of the works, which will unlock the Falkirk Gateway development site beside Forth Valley College’s campus, to deliver a host of new retail, office, and leisure opportunities for the local area.
After a council meeting on 9 May, Falkirk Council leader Cecil Meiklejohn said: ‘Today’s agreement ensures essential strategic transport improvements will go ahead and at a much lower cost, which fits better with the challenging financial position of the council.
‘This is a major milestone and will provide businesses with increased confidence that Falkirk and Grangemouth are great places to be located and operate from. It will also pave the way for the development of the Falkirk Gateway site that will bring new retail, office, and leisure opportunities to the area as well as jobs.’
Balfour Beatty is working with consultant WSP on the job and started work in February on a 10-week programme of ground investigation and preparatory work.
Construction of the new design will be phased over two years.
