Posted on Saturday 7th December 2024
Mark Deaville
Engineers from Staffordshire County Council started work on Thursday December 5 to repair the parapet on Branston Bridge in Burton.
The Victorian bridge has been closed to all traffic for the past three weeks due to the weight and width restriction being ignored, causing damage to a parapet.
Whilst the bridge is closed, crews are on site to repair the parapet, which weather permitting should take around nine days to complete and after which the plan is to reopen the bridge.
Weight and reduced width restrictions will still be in place alongside additional monitoring.
Further work will be taking place during overnight rail possessions over the next two weekends to carry out localised repairs to further stabilise the brick arch.
Engineers are also working on options to repair and reinforce the bridge, with the goal of eventually reopening it, including to larger vehicles.
This effort includes a comprehensive assessment of the structure, with detailed surveys and design work that demand careful attention. The complexity of the railway line and surrounding embankments makes the process more time-consuming, but this careful approach is essential to ensure a safe and reliable solution.
Staffordshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Strategic Highways Mark Deaville said:
Our priority in this has always been safety, and our engineers are working hard to ensure that the bridge can reopen safely, albeit with weight and width restrictions in place.
Repairing the bridge is a really complex and costly problem, which is why we are having to take our time in putting together a suitable solution so it can reopen to traffic. We will also continue to lobby the Department for Transport to gain the fund necessary to complete the repairs.”