Finlathen Bridge will be rebuilt, council officials have confirmed.
Part of the commonly-used aqueduct collapsed in July, a few weeks after barriers were hastily erected when one of the walls began visibly ebbing away from the rest of the structure.
An investigation into the cause commenced quickly afterwards, and Dundee City Council has now confirmed the intention is to replace the section of the listed structure that crumbled away.
A spokesman said there was no way to say how long this would take, however, as the investigation is not yet complete.
Fintry Community Council chairman Ron Neave warned residents to remain cautiously optimistic regarding the local authority’s assurances.
He said: “The people in the area will be glad to hear there is an intention to rebuild the bridge. It’s well used.
“But I wouldn’t be surprised if, as the structure is being assessed ahead of any rebuilding, the engineers find other parts of the bridge that would need some work.
“The conversations I’ve had with people on the site indicate that nothing will happen anytime soon.
“Certainly the last time I was there, it was looking worse than it did when it first collapsed. The heavy rain we’ve had recently won’t have helped.
“I think the council should outline what they expect to be the longest it will take to do the work. That way, if it takes less time people will obviously be happy with that.
“But I think the communities of Fintry and Linlathen would appreciate some sort of timeline being put out there.
“It won’t be cheap and it won’t be soon, I imagine.”
And worryingly, the barriers erected to make clear the bridge is out of bounds are still being ignored, according to Ron.
He added: “I’ve seen people still using the bridge, which is alarming. It could cause a fatality. If someone fell from there and some more of the bridge comes away with them, they would stand much of a chance.
“But to be fair to the council they have reinforced the barriers, so I don’t know what more they can do.”
A Dundee City Council spokesman said: “It is the council’s intention to rebuild the affected span using recovered sandstone, in line with the bridge’s listed status, and reopen it to pedestrian access.
“At this point, however, we cannot confirm what the timescale for this is likely to be.”
