THERE is concern that the £13 million project to replace the Broad Street bridge will cause "significant disruption" in Cowdenbeath.
Councillor Darren Watt sounded a warning after hearing about the next steps in the delayed project which will see £500,000 spent on preparatory works.
At the Cowdenbeath area committee he said: "The bridge works at Broad Street could cause significant disruption and delay and a lot of inconvenience.
"We've already seen the impact from the traffic lights and roadworks both at Bridge Street and, currently, at the junction at Cowdenbeath.
"Can we get further reassurance that disruption will be kept to a minimum?"
The Broad Street bridge is 135-years-old, it spans the Fife Circle railway line and carries traffic between Cowdenbeath and Crossgates.
Its condition has been of "particular concern" to Fife Council since at least 2016.
In 2020 councillors heard that plans for a new structure had been hampered by its position and a dispute with the designers.
They were told that the existing bridge will have to be demolished and, to do that, they'll have to stop trains running on this section of the Fife Circle – which will be "extremely expensive".
At that stage, the project was scheduled to be completed in 2023-24.
At last week's area committee, Vicki Storrar, lead consultant in roads and lighting asset management, said: "The bridge replacement scheme at Broad Street is round about £13m (in total) and the budget for next year is to progress with advance works such as utility diversion and provision of a temporary footbridge.
"We're also looking to progress with parapet replacement works at the underpass at Stenhouse Street (which will cost £20,000). The design for that is currently underway."
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