(1)Where, and on the date (“the transfer date”) that, a road comprising a bridge to which this section applies becomes a trunk road, the bridge by which that road is carried shall be transferred to the Secretary of State by virtue of this section.
(2)Where a bridge is transferred to the Secretary of State by virtue of this section then, subject to subsection (3) below—
(a)the bridge, including any building or structure comprised in it and the road carried by it shall by virtue of this section vest heritably in the Secretary of State, and
(b)any statutory provision in force in relation to the bridge for the protection or benefit of statutory undertakers shall have effect, subject to any necessary modifications, as if for any reference therein to the owner of the bridge there were substituted a reference to the Secretary of State.
(3)The Secretary of State and the owner may by agreement in writing made either before or after the transfer date agree that the provisions of subsection (2) above with respect to the transfer of property shall not apply, or as the case may be shall be deemed not to have applied, to such property comprised in the bridge as may be specified in the agreement.
(4)Subject to section 119(1) of the M1Transport Act 1968 (ending of liability of certain Boards to make payments on being relieved of responsibility for bridges carrying trunk or special roads), in respect of any bridge which is transferred to the Secretary of State by virtue of this section, the owner shall pay to the Secretary of State such sum as may be agreed between the Secretary of State and the owner or, in default of agreement as to the sum, such sum as may be determined by arbitration to represent the value, to the owner, of the extinguishment of any liability of the owner for the maintenance or improvement of the bridge and the Secretary of State shall pay to the owner such sum as may be so agreed or determined to represent the value, to the owner, of the bridge as an asset productive of revenue. Any arbitration under the foregoing provisions of this subsection shall be by a single arbiter appointed, in default of agreement as to the appointment, by the Court of Session, or by the sheriff, on the application of either party.
(5)For the purposes of subsection (4) above, a bridge shall not be treated as an asset productive of revenue unless at the time when the bridge is transferred by virtue of this section—
(a)a contract is in force under which payments have been made or will accrue to the owner in respect of the use of the bridge; or
(b)the bridge includes any building constructed or adapted for use by the owner for the purposes of his undertaking or for letting to any other person.
(6)Where any bridge transferred to the Secretary of State by virtue of this section carries the road over any railway, canal, road or other works used for the purposes of any undertaking carried on by the owner, them, so long as those works are so used—
(a)the Secretary of State shall, before entering on any land of the owner for the purpose of executing any works for the maintenance, improvement or alteration of the bridge, give notice to the owner specifying the general nature of the works proposed to be executed;
(b)except with the consent of the owner, the Secretary of State shall not reduce the headway or any span of the bridge; and
(c)if the headway of the bridge is reduced in consequence of subsidence due to mining operations, or of works carried out by the owner for the purpose of raising the railway, canal, road or other works to a level not higher than their level before the subsidence occurred, the Secretary of State shall, if so required by the owner, raise the bridge so far as may be necessary to give the same headway as before the subsidence occurred.
(7)Any consent required for the execution of any works by the Secretary of State under subsection (6) above shall not be unreasonably withheld, and any question whether the withholding of such a consent is unreasonable shall be determined by such arbitration as is mentioned in subsection (4) above.
(8)Any dispute between the Secretary of State and any person as to the property or liabilities transferred by virtue of this section, or as to the liability imposed on the Secretary of State by subsection (6)(c) above to carry out any works, shall be determined by such arbitration as is mentioned in subsection (4) above.
(9)This section applies to all bridges which carry the road over any railway or road, over any canal, river, watercourse, marsh or other place where water flows or is collected, or over any ravine or other depression, other than—
(a)swing bridges;
(b)bridges which carry a railway as well as the road;
(c)bridges to which a right to levy tolls is attached; or
(d)bridges maintainable by a roads authority.
(10)In the foregoing provisions of this section “owner” means the person who immediately before the transfer of the bridge to the Secretary of State was responsible for the maintenance and repair of it and includes any person who, in pursuance of any agreement with the person so responsible, was then discharging that responsibility on his behalf.
(11)Where a road carried by a bridge transferred to the Secretary of State under this section ceases to be a trunk road, the Secretary of State may contribute towards the expenses incurred in the maintenance and repair of the bridge by the authority who become the local roads authority for the road.
Marginal Citations