Long term refurbishment required for Inverness’s Infirmary Bridge

Highland Council provides an update on the present and future plans required to extend the lifespan of the Category B listed Infirmary Bridge crossing the River Ness in Inverness.

The Council assures walkers and cyclists that it is doing its utmost to find immediate and long term solutions for the repairs and refurbishment of this much-used historical structure.

During Storm Floris in early August one of the bridge hangers failed and the footbridge was closed for public safety reasons. An attempt to repair this hanger along with several others that were in a poor condition ultimately was not successful and the structure remains closed for public safety.

In the immediate short term, the emergency issues require more substantial repairs to the hangers and works are planned to take place by 7 November 2025.

In the medium term, Infirmary Bridge is in urgent need of further essential repairs once the emergency repairs are completed. These further repairs include:

• Repairing connections
• Partially repainting the bridge
• Improving drainage
• Replacing timber deck and timber bracing.

These are planned to take place in Spring / Summer next year and will use the funding allocated to Infirmary Bridge in the Council’s Capital Programme. Beyond these medium term repairs, it is anticipated that further steelwork repairs will be required within the next 10 years.

Following the short and medium term repairs the bridge will still need to be closed for crowd loading events i.e. when significant crowding is expected in the area such as outdoor events, concerts and festivals. 

The Council has currently allocated £535,000 budget in the Capital Programme for repairs to Infirmary Bridge. Estimated costs for a full refurbishment have been calculated at around £2.5 million.

An estimated programme to prepare a full refurbishment scheme would be around 18 months. In addition, the estimated construction time would be about 6 months, during which the bridge would be closed. Council officers are seeking external funding towards the full refurbishment of this historic bridge in Inverness following which crowd loading assessments would still be required to meet crowd loading standards.

The Council carries out annual inspections of the Infirmary Bridge and these will continue once any repairs and refurbishments are completed for public safety.