THE Kincardine Bridge is set to close for five nights to allow routine maintenance tasks to be carried out.

The A985 trunk road over the bridge will be closed in both directions from 7.30pm to 5am each night from Monday, May 20, to Friday, May 24.

A diversion route will be signposted via the A977 and A876 over the Clackmannanshire Bridge, adding an estimated 3.7miles, around six minutes, to affected journeys.

The Kincardine Bridge will remain open to cyclists and pedestrians, however.

Works to be completed by Transport Scotland’s operating company BEAR Scotland will include gully cleaning, road sweeping, removal of vegetation as well as carriageway repairs.

Tommy Deans, BEAR Scotland’s south-east network manager, said: “It is essential for safety that we close the A985 over the Kincardine Bridge while these works are carried out, however, we’ll be taking advantage of the closures to carry out as many routine maintenance tasks as possible, reducing the overall need for closures and traffic management.

“We’re grateful to road users and the local community for their patience and understanding.”

Consultation took place with emergency services and other relevant stakeholders to share information about works in advance, the company added.