£3.5 million footbridge to link Perth Road with Riverside Drive gets the green light

Plans for a £3.5 million footbridge over the railway to link Perth Road with Riverside Drive have been approved by councillors.

The bridge at the foot of Seabraes will cost the council only £2.7 million thanks to external funding.

This includes £370,000 from the Scottish Government’s vacant and derelict land fund and £50,000 from the Cycling, Walking and Safer Streets programme.

West End councillor Richard McCready said he would like an assurance that the creation of the footbridge, which will cut journey times on foot to the Tesco store at Riverside, would not be detrimental to the shops on Perth Road.

City development director Mike Galloway replied: “We don’t anticipate that making the walking time to Tesco from Perth Road any faster will be detrimental in any way.”

Mr Galloway said a full lighting scheme for the bridge and the paths leading to it had been drawn up.

* Robertson Construction was approved as the sole contractor for the combined campus to replace Baldragon Academy, Sidlaw View Primary and Jessie Porter Nursery.