Aberdeenshire Council | Banff & Macduff, Aberdeenshire

Working closely with client Aberdeenshire Council and project sponsor Sustrans, Moxon and Arcadis are developing designs for a new active travel bridge over the River Deveron where it meets the Moray Firth. The new crossing will link the coastal towns of Banff and Macduff, alleviating foot and cycle traffic from an existing, category A listed stone arch bridge. Two options are being pursued demonstrating different relationships between the existing and new structure as it spans over the exposed estuary.

The first scheme runs just to the north of the existing bridge, taking advantage of the landings’ higher ground to avoid the onerous flood/storm surge constraint. The geometry and span configuration relate to the existing bridge, reinterpreted as Y-piers supporting a simple slender structure that sits within the silhouette of the existing bridge.

The second, more structurally ambitious option for the new Deveron Bridge is further north, where stable ground is confined to the edges of the estuary. In this location a larger, longer span configuration is required structurally and is visually more appropriate, given the ample offset from the existing bridge. A series of repeated triangular truss elements are hung from a pair of pylons to support the deck. At midspan the trusses flip below deck providing a greater feeling of openness and uninterrupted views at mid crossing.

This commission for Aberdeenshire Council builds upon previous studies that identified the need for a new bridge. With an increase in tourism and green transport, the case has grown even stronger in recent years.