Renfrew Residents Face Months of Detours as Storm Shuts Bridge
People in Renfrew say recent storms have brought "one disaster after another". The bridge linking the town to Yoker and Clydebank has closed to road traffic and will stay shut for a number of months.
Renfrewshire Council said the electrical systems that operate the bridge had suffered serious water damage. The bridge opened in May last year. It closed to road traffic from Wednesday night.
The council's head of climate, public protection and roads, Gerard Hannah, said the operating room on the Renfrew side had been badly damaged last weekend. The council said it is legally obliged to keep the Clyde open to river traffic. The swing bridge must therefore stay in the open position.
Traders fear lost custom
Business owners told BBC Scotland they expect trade to fall. Shops and restaurants were flooded only days earlier.
Tarun Wadhwa runs the Green Gates Indian Restaurant. His business was already damaged by the storms. "This is one disaster after another for me," he said. Most of his customers come from the other side of the river, and the drive to his restaurant is now 20 minutes instead of five. "We feel abandoned," he said, adding that the council had not yet spoken to him about the damage.
The Foundry Gym next door has been closed all week because of storm damage. It is due to reopen on Monday. Owner Sukhjinder Singh said gym-goers have already told him they will go elsewhere because of the bridge closure. He said the council had not visited his premises.
Longer trips to hospital
Residents also face longer journeys to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital. John McGowan uses the bridge to reach the hospital, where his son is a patient. He said the trip took 15 or 20 minutes with the bridge. It will now take up to 40 minutes each way every day, he said.
The 184m (604ft) bridge was part of a £117m regeneration project. It was the first road crossing on the river able to open for large ships, and it also carries cyclists and pedestrians.
Complaint over flood barriers
Storm Boleo hit the west of Scotland hard last weekend. An amber weather warning was issued for Saturday. The council said its data suggested predicted tide levels would not reach the threshold for using the flood barriers, part of £10m of defences installed in 2016. The tidal surge that night took the Clyde to 6.7m at Renfrew.
Mr Singh and other businesses have formally complained to the council. Their letter, seen by BBC Scotland, says "adequate precautionary action" was not taken before the storm. The council said it was "very sorry for the inconvenience" caused by the closure.
Source: BBC News