Wednesday August 13th 2025
Abandoned bridge in Dalkeith Country Park
Written by Midlothian View Reporter, Liam Eunson
A bridge in Dalkeith Country Park has been abandoned for a significant amount of time and there are no plans for it to be repaired by the Country Park team.
The ‘American Bridge’ has been closed off to the public for a number of years, causing issues with the country park’s path network. Recently it has been fully dismantled due to infrastructure issues following investigatory work when the difficult decision was made to get rid of the connecting footbridge.
With many questions from the public regarding the bridge and plans to have it repaired, local Josh Abernethy posted to Facebook saying: “Does anyone know the plan for the bridge in Dalkeith Country Park? Been abandoned for a long time and very frustrating and restrictive.”
Answering the public’s concerns, Commercial Director at the Dalkeith Country Park Ross McGregor, explained to the Midlothian View that the bridge was deemed unsafe and that they did look into a replacement but due to accessibility it won’t be possible, saying:
“We have had to take the difficult decision to dismantle the American Bridge following recent investigatory works. The structure of the bridge was deemed unsafe and in need of complete replacement. We looked into replacement, but the site of the American Bridge is difficult to access, the scale of the machinery required and the works as a whole, would have significant impact on the surrounding landscapes and established wildlife habitats.”
Ross McGregor explained, “Buccleuch Group continues to invest in Dalkeith Country Park and its infrastructure; the team are currently developing new and interesting path networks around the Park.”
“Once complete, maps for these will be available at Dalkeith Country Park and online and we recently submitted pre-planning for some exciting changes in and around the adventure playground at Fort Douglas.”
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