Bridge could require lengthy repairs or replacement

A road bridge may need lengthy repairs or have to be replaced entirely due to its condition.

Donnington Bridge in Oxford, which links Abingdon Road to Iffley Road over the River Thames, has had an emergency weight restriction in place since August 2024.

Vehicles weighing more than 7.5 tonnes have been banned and the 46 bus service has been re-routed via Iffley Road.

A recent inspection by Oxfordshire County Council's structural engineering team found the bridge needs to be repaired with new cables or replaced entirely before full-sized buses can use it again.

Labour councillor Brad Baines, who represents the Isis division on the council, wrote to cabinet member Andrew Gant calling for the authority to take urgent action.

He said current estimates suggested the council may have to pay about £4m for repair works, which would take two years.

He added that replacing the bridge would take even longer and cost up to £30m.

Mr Baines said residents could not wait a further two years for bus services to resume and that the authority needed to "urgently work with local operators to put in a full timetable service using minibuses".

He has also launched a petition calling for the bridge to be fixed.

A council spokesperson said: "Some calculations have shown that some of the bridge elements could be critical if the post-tensioned cables have deteriorated.

"Their actual condition is unknown and difficult to determine without causing structural damage.

"Oxfordshire County Council is commissioning its contractor to complete site investigations to inform the urgency of the need for strengthening or replacement and to complete feasibility work to determine the options and costs during spring/summer 2026.

"The bridge is likely to be subject to sophisticated monitoring until it is strengthened or replaced.

"The intended course of action is dependent on the outcomes of site investigations and feasibility study work, with a decision to be taken later this year."

The spokesperson added that expanding the minibus service "would, unfortunately, be prohibitive" but said alternative services were available "within a 10-minute walk on both sides of Donnington Bridge".

Last March, the council rejected proposals for a network of minibuses travelling to Cowley Centre using the original 46 bus route via Donnington Bridge.

There is a 46A shuttle service but it does not run to a full timetable.

You can follow BBC Oxfordshire on Facebook, X (Twitter), or Instagram.