PART of the main road in and out of Greenock will close on Saturday night to allow an old overhead rail bridge to be removed.

A stretch of the A8, at James Watt Dock, will close to all traffic at 10pm so the removal of the disused structure, above, can begin.

The section of dual carriageway will reopen at 6am on Sunday morning, with the eastbound nearside lane staying shut until 6pm that night.

Motorists will be asked to follow local diversions in the east end of Greenock and then rejoin the main road.

The closure will enable the old bridge, which once connected the former coal yard on Sinclair Street and the dock, to be dismantled.

It is being removed as part of the waterfront work being carried out by urban regeneration company Riverside Inverclyde.

The whole dock area is being transformed in a massive £180m project and this stage of the work will help open it up.

George Hunter, of Riverside Inverclyde, said: “We have appointed a specialist contractor who will bring in a crane, remove the existing welds and lift the whole thing up in one go.

“A lot of risk assessments had to be carried out to ensure the bridge will not snap when it is lifted.

“The bridge will be taken into James Watt Dock and broken down into scrap.

“The existing railway sidings and embankments will also be removed, giving clear access to the dock for the first time in generations.” Mr Hunter confirmed the access road being put in place as part of the dock development is also due to be completed soon.

He said: “The access road will be finished by the end of September, early October.

“That, along with the removal of the bridge, will open up the whole site and give better access.”