Posted on Tuesday 24th December 2024
Branston Bridge will be closed for the foreseeable future due to safety concerns.
The Victorian bridge, which had only reopened last week, has had to be closed once more after vehicles have repeatedly ignored width and weight restrictions.
With CCTV installed on the bridge, officers have been monitoring traffic over the weekend to check that the restrictions were being observed.
Over three days, officers observed vehicles ignoring red traffic signals, concrete barriers being hit and damaged by over-width vehicles, and cones being moved to allow two lanes of traffic on the weak bridge.
HGVs have also been seen ignoring signs on the approach to the bridge, and having to reverse backwards or make a U-turn, creating more traffic.
Staffordshire County Council Deputy Leader Philip White said:
“We opened Branston Bridge last week in the hope that people would comply with the extra safety precautions put in place. However, after crews have been out over the weekend, and through monitoring the CCTV that has been installed on the bridge, we have witnessed signs being ignored, barriers being damaged, and cones being moved.
“Restrictions have been put on the bridge because it is not safe for heavy and wide vehicles to use. When people flout the many safety warnings we have put in place, they risk damaging the bridge even further and compromising its structural integrity, which then creates an unacceptable risk to public safety. We therefore have no option but to close it.
“We understand that this will be disappointing for some, but we just can’t compromise people’s safety.”
Engineers are finalising a programme of extensive works that will see wider and heavier vehicles able to use the bridge once more. The works, which could begin in mid-January, are dependent on gaining the necessary permissions from Network Rail and other key organisations such as utilities that cross the bridge. Local residents will be updated on the solution and timings in due course.
People can check out the latest updates at www.staffordshire.gov.uk/branstonbridge.