A near three-month project involving the M90 Muirmont Bridge near Bridge of Earn is now under way.

The £300,000 investment from Transport Scotland will involve the replacement of the south abutment bearings to ensure safe continued operation of the bridge.

The improvements were scheduled to get under way on Monday, May 23 and are expected to take up to 11 weeks to complete.

To keep roadworkers and motorists safe during the improvements, a lane closure will be in place on the A912 below the bridge throughout the duration of the project.

The existing three lanes below the bridge will be reduced to two lanes during the works.

The M90 will be closed for a short duration in both directions for one night at the start of the works to allow the bridge to be lifted on hydraulic jacks, with a similar closure required near the end of the works to remove the jacks and lower the bridge deck on to the new bearings.

It is anticipated that the closure will be in place for 15 minutes each night and will be assisted by Police Scotland.

The closures are provisionally programmed for the nights of Monday, June 13 and Thursday, July 14.

More information will be issued closer to the time to confirm the dates and remind stakeholders of the closure.

Commenting on the improvements, Ian Stewart, BEAR Scotland’s north east operating company representative, said: “This essential maintenance project at M90 Muirmont Bridge will help to ensure that the structure remains in a safe working condition for many years to come.

“The traffic management proposed is essential to ensure the safety of our teams and motorists and has been planned to help ensure disruption is kept to a minimum. We thank motorists for their patience in advance while our teams carry out this essential maintenance project on the M90.

“We encourage road users to plan their journeys in advance by checking the Traffic Scotland website for up-to-date traffic information and allow some extra time to reach their destination.”