A leading construction firm has struck a £1million deal to replace a historic Highland Perthshire road bridge.
The crossing at Bleaton Hallet was left damaged beyond repair during freak storms in December.
In March, a huge crane was used to remove the collapsed 35-tonne structure.
Now, Perth and Kinross Council has awarded the contract to design and build the replacement link to Motherwell-based construction specialists Morgan Sindall.
According to the job brief, the company will be required to carry out a ground investigation as well as topographical surveys.
These will be used to inform the design and construction of the bridge’s abutments.
The east embankment will need to be stabilised before construction can take place.
The 82ft crossing provides a vital link between the A93 and Alyth. It was severely damaged when Storm Frank battered the region on December 30.
Digger driver Rodger Brown had driven his 14-tonne vehicle off the bridge just seconds before it gave way.
The structure initially dropped just a few feet and Mr Brown, 34, was forced to use his digger’s rear bucket to pull back on to land.
The bridge then fell again, coming to a rest some 5ft below the road level.
Specialist teams took away the damaged bridge after first constructing a hardstanding area then diverting a phone line.
A council spokeswoman said: “The bridge deck weighs 35 tonnes and its removal represents a significant engineering challenge, taking into account the complex nature of the site.
“The operation required the use of a large crane with a 750-tonne capacity, preceded by diversion of a BT line and construction of a substantial area of handstanding to support the crane.”
Tenders for the work were offered in April and four companies submitted bids.