Work begins on £20m bridge and bypass in village

Work on a long-awaited £20m bridge and bypass over the River Trent is finally under way after decades of campaigning from residents.

The steel bridge, at Walton-on-Trent, South Derbyshire, is 157 tonnes in weight and will alleviate traffic through the village getting to and from East Staffordshire.

Currently, the only way to cross the river by car is along Bailey Bridge, which is a one-way single lane structure with traffic lights.

Derbyshire county councillor Amy Wheelton said: "There were a lot of people for a long time who said this bridge and bypass would not be built... it's great to see it finally happening."

The bridge - being lifted by a 600-tonne crane over six phases - is 150m long (492ft) and made up of three spans. The installation is set to take about nine weeks.

The new road bridge will replace the "old and inadequate" Bailey Bridge and will improve access for the 2,000-resident development on the site of the former Drakelow power station.

The installation was due to start on Thursday but was delayed 24 hours due to high winds.

Matt Procter from Chasetown Civil Engineering, said: "It's brilliant to see the activity and it start to take shape... it's a really proud moment for the team and everyone in the community to finally have it in place.

"There's going to be a big benefit for the local community, we'll unlock the traffic congestion and open up the wider development."

Wheelton said she was delighted the work was getting under way and added the project was vital for the area.

"It's just immense, 157 tonnes being lifted into place, it's really happening now," she said.

"We get flooded in which used to happen perhaps once every five years, it's now five times a year.

"There's more traffic, we've got more building development and South Derbyshire has been one of the fastest growing districts in the country and the River Trent stops growth."

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