Spey Viaduct that collapsed into river needed structural survey a decade ago

A structural survey of the Spey Viaduct, which was needed more than a decade ago, was never carried out due to a lack of funds, a council report has revealed.

The public was shocked when the 19th-century structure collapsed into the River Spey in December. It has since been closed, with diversions for cyclists and walkers still to be finalised.

Council papers have now revealed that a structural survey, needed over a decade ago, was never carried out on the bridge due to financial constraints.

The documents, due to be discussed at a full meeting of Moray Council on Wednesday (January 28), state that, in 2014, a council committee agreed to replace the deck boards on the bridge and said that other repairs, including the survey, should be made a budget priority.

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The Spey Viaduct partially collapsed at the weekend.

The deck boards were replaced in 2015 and again in 2025, along with the replacement of missing screws. However, no funding was ever acquired for the additional works identified or for the survey.

This was despite it being made a budget pressure in 2015, and UK walking and cycling charity Sustrans being asked for additional funding in 2022.

A structural survey is a detailed inspection aimed at identifying defects in a structure, helping assess its strength and safety.

General inspections were carried out in 2010 and 2025, with the latest inspection revealing that the bridge required several repairs, including work to the lap-joint and an old crack that was found in the central pier.

The cause of the collapsed bridge still needs to be fully investigated but the report states that two spans of the viaduct to the west of the main span collapsed into the River Spey.

An initial inspection found that one of the supporting columns had fallen and the other was leaning.

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The Garmouth Viaduct was built across the River Spey in 1886, spanning the route of the Great North of Scotland Railway.

Councillors have been asked to agree to a full investigation into the cause of the collapse at Wednesday’s meeting, costing £75,000.

Transport Scotland has agreed to partly fund the investigation, leaving Moray Council to pay £38,000.

The removal of the collapsed spans of the Spey Viaduct is estimated to cost £500,000.

The Scottish Government announced last week that they would provide £113,000 worth of funding but Moray Council will still need to acquire more outside funding if the work is to go ahead.

This will need to be agreed by councillors at Wednesday’s meeting, before officers can start to look for additional funding.