ROADS bosses are getting the paperwork in order for a £9.2million job to reinforce the structure that holds up the road over the Kincardine Bridge.

An adjacent temporary crossing will be built to carry traffic when the scheme, which will last two years and see the replacement of an 80-metre-long piled viaduct, gets under way.

Transport Scotland applied for a marine licence for the project earlier this month and said works were now due to start in the spring or summer of 2022.

A spokesperson said: "The proposed scheme would keep the Kincardine Bridge in its intended use in the long term, thus ensuring the future maintenance of the structure and preserving the way the bridge is understood, experienced and appreciated."

The category A-listed bridge opened to traffic in 1936 and comprises 28 spans of varying forms of construction supported on reinforced concrete piers.

The southern approach is a piled 'jetty'-type structure which was assessed in 1983 as substandard and will now be demolished and replaced with a reinforced concrete version.

Transport Scotland said that closing the bridge for the project would cause "major congestion" so to ensure it stays open throughout, traffic will be diverted onto a temporary crossing that will be constructed next to the viaduct that is to be replaced.

An impressive feat of engineering, the project will also involve more than 3,000 tonnes of concrete and 500 tonnes of reinforced steel.

The works will take place at the southern end of the 85-year-old bridge, in Falkirk Council territory, and the local authority has given listed building consent.

The original plan was to start work this summer but Transport Scotland confirmed earlier this year that it had been pushed back to 2022.

A spokesperson explained: "The scheme is to demolish the piled viaduct and steel propping system and replace it with a five-span structure replicating the style of the 50-feet spans immediately to the north.

"This will ensure a consistent appearance to the bridge is maintained.

“In order to minimise the impact of the demolition and construction works on road users, a temporary diversion structure with provision for two-way traffic flow will be constructed alongside and to the west of the existing piled viaduct."

The marine licence application process typically takes around 14 weeks and the plans can be viewed at http://bitly.ws/dJTk.