Network Rail has announced that the new River Leven Road (Bawbee) bridge will open at 10:00 on Monday 4 December.

As the section above Leven station will be completed by then, the road will fully re-opened to traffic. Engineers will move on to work on the car park area of the new Leven station.

Network Rail demolished the Bawbee bridge in May 2023. Since then, work has been carried out to allow reconnection of utilities – electricity, gas, water, telecoms, fibre etc – across the structure.

While the bridge was closed, a road diversion has taken vehicles across a temporary road bridge and onto the road network via the new roundabout at South Street (B932). The temporary bridge supported eighteen thousand vehicle movements per day while the old Bawbee bridge was demolished.

The diversion will now close and the temporary bridge will be dismantled and removed.

The A955 road bridge was completely rebuilt, because the original structure had significant chlorine contamination and corrosion. The carriageway, above the new Leven station car park, has now had its long-term weight restriction removed.

Fife Council paid for the replacement of the bridge, and Network Rail carried out the work as part of its wider railway work programme. Because it completed the work ahead of the new Levenmouth Rail Link opening, it reduced costs and was able to deliver the work more efficiently.

Early in the new year, further work will begin, developing and enhancing active travel networks in the area . This will require traffic management on the bridge, details of which will be published once finalised.

Sean Clemie, Network Rail’s project manager for bridge works, said: “The completion of work on the Bawbee bridge and the full reopening of the road are important steps forward for the project and the local community.

“Throughout the work, we have had significant interest from the community, with many people following its progress and turning out to watch key construction events such as the demolition and craning-in of the beams and parapets.

“The rail work now focuses on progressing the car park for the new Leven Station – with the first step being to remove the temporary diversion route and temporary road bridge.”

Councillor Colin Davidson, of Fife Council’s Levenmouth Area Committee, said: “It’s been great to watch the work to replace the bridge progress so well. And it’s great that we are now in a position where we can confirm that the road will reopen at the start of December.

“The replacement structure improves our local road network and removes the need for a weight restriction on the bridge.

“We appreciate the patience shown by local residents and the business community throughout this project and I’d like to thank Fife Council’s transportation staff for their support during this difficult and complex project.”