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Bridge of Dava

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Bridge of Dava
Location Map ( geo)
Dava-br1.jpg
Cameraicon.png View gallery (3)
From:  Dava
To:  Nairn
Location
Dava
County
Nairnshire
Highway Authority
Highland
Opening Date
1754
Additional Information
Bridge Type:  Arch Bridge
Engineer:  Major William Caulfeild
On road(s)
A939
Crossings related to the A939
looking north at the bridge from Dava Junction

The Bridge of Dava spans the Dorback Burn immediately to the north of the Dava Junction on the A939. It is a single arch span across the river and was built in the 1750s by Major Caulfeild as part of his military road from Perthshire to Fort George near Inverness. It is one of the less spectacular of the large bridges he built on the road, being a straight single span across the river. The roadway is single track, but uncontrolled due to the good visibility across the bridge in this open moorland landscape. There are forestry plantations nearby, indeed next to the road, but not in the way of any sightlines.

When heading north, the road turns sharp left onto the bridge, with a wide turning space cut into the bank next to the road to aid larger vehicles. This has obviously been a result of bridge strikes in the past, with a number of poorly matched repairs in evidence on the low parapets. That on the inside of the turn seems to be concrete blocks.

Junction

A short distance to the south of the bridge, the A940 forks off the A939 and heads north to Forres. The junction is perhaps more commonly known as Dava, but in this sparsely populated area there is no village as such, just a scattering of houses and a former station. The junction is a simple fork, with both the A939 and A940 continuing north. It was only recently, therefore, that the turning lane was added, making the junction a triangle, although very little traffic uses it, with the B9007 away to the north offering a better route for most traffic.

Perhaps curiously, the main route through the junction is onto the A940 from the southern arm of the A939, even though the straight line is the continuation of the A939. This means that the A939 has a sort of a TOTSO without a turn! However, a little consideration (backed up by traffic counts) suggests that this is the busier of the routes when looking at long distance traffic, as the A95 - A940 is the best route from the south to Forres, whilst there are a larger selection of route options for traffic destined for Nairn on the A939. Equally traffic from the east would probably go via Elgin and the A96 than heading down to Grantown on Spey before turning back to the north.

One final point of interest with this junction is that it is home to one of the surviving AA Phone Boxes, which sits right at the apex of the fork.

Routes

Route To Notes

A939

Grantown on Spey

A939

Nairn

A940

Forres





Bridge of Dava
Related Pictures
View gallery (3)
Dava-br1.jpgDava-br2.jpgDava-br3.jpg
Crossings of the River Findhorn & Tributaries
River FindhornFindhorn Bridge • Tomatin Viaduct • Raigbeg Bridge • Dulsie Bridge • Logie Bridge • Bridge of Findhorn
River DivieBridge of Bantrach • Bridge of Divie • Bridge of Logie
Dorback BurnBridge of Dava

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