THE A905 Kerse Road in Stirling will close for six months from April until the end of October of next year, Network Rail has confirmed. 

A work programme will see the demolition and replacement of the road bridge over the railway to the south of Stirling station.

Ahead of the main closure, there will be a period of single lane working between January and April 2018 to allow for the diversion of utilities onto a temporary structure. 

Work on the bridge will begin with two overnight road closures on Saturday, November 12 and 19 to enable the installation of the temporary bridge that will maintain pedestrian and cycle access throughout.

Iain McFarlane, Network Rail’s route delivery director for the Stirling-Dunblane-Alloa (SDA) electrification project, said: "We know Kerse Road is a critical link in Stirling’s road network, and we do not take the decision to request its closure lightly.

"We understand the impact that this potentially will have for both road users, businesses and those communities adjacent to the proposed diversion route. However, this is the best way to minimise the overall disruption that this unavoidable work will have on the local community.

"Delivering this work in a six month closure is a huge logistical challenge, but we have planned carefully with our contractor, Morgan Sindall, and have every confidence in the project team’s ability to complete this work with the minimum possible inconvenience."