It is a day that will live long in the memory of the people of Alyth – a massive surge of water swept through the town leaving a trail of devastation in its wake.
Among the victims of the “once-in-200-year” flooding were two footbridges destroyed by the deluge of July 2015.
The final touches will be made in the next few days to the replacement bridges which symbolise the final recovery for the Perthshire community which suffered considerable hardship as a result of the floods.
Businesses have recovered and people returned to their homes and the completion of the footbridges is an important milestone for the community.
Fittingly it was Alyth citizen of the year, Marie MacDonald, who officially marked the event on Wednesday.
Representing the local community she was joined by representatives from the council and the contractors involved with the project, NRS Group.
Dependent on weather conditions, the final works to apply the anti-skid coating to the ramps, steps and landings will take place later this week with the bridges open to the public on Friday or early next week.
Further follow-up work to the bridge decks has also been planned to take place in May.
Barbara Renton, director of the council’s environment service, said: “I would like to take this opportunity to thank our partners and contractors for coming together to provide Alyth with their new replacement bridges and also to the local community for their patience while these works were being carried out.”
Gearoid Reidy, site manager, NRS Group, said: “NRS are delighted to have been involved with this project to restore vital links for the community.”
The council undertook an extensive community consultation regarding the replacement of the bridges and funding was approved for two bridges.
In order to avoid disruption to parking during the festive period, work started on the bridges in early January this year.
After construction of the foundations, both footbridges were successfully lifted into place at the end of February.
