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Victorian bridge could be saved with traffic ban

Piers MeylerLocal democracy reporter
News imageLouise Graham/BBC A road has been closed and cordoned off using metal and plastic fending. A row of orange traffic cones has been put in place to further block off access to the road. In front of these cones are metal signs. On the left there are two signs stacked on top of each other. At the bottom is a yellow metal sign with black writing which says, CCTV In Operation. On top of it, is a red metal sign with white writing which says, ROAD CLOSED. On the right of the picture there is a yellow metal sign which says, Boxted Bridge CLOSED No Access.Louise Graham/BBC
Boxted Bridge, which had been closed for two years, was built in 1897

All traffic could be permanently banned from using a weakened Victorian bridge to save it from demolition.

In January, Boxted Bridge, on the Essex-Suffolk border near Colchester, opened to just pedestrians and cyclists. The steel structure had been closed for two years because of corrosion.

Essex County Council (ECC) had considered demolishing and replacing the "dangerously weak" structure with one that could support heavy goods vehicles.

But these plans could now be withdrawn if a permanent traffic ban is approved, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Campaigners trying to save the bridge want to raise £12,300 to pay for an impartial consultation by engineers who specialise in conservation.

Lewis Barber, a Conservative county councillor who supports the campaign, said: "One battle done, we move on to the next one and now we need to keep putting the pressure on like we've been doing to get the repair option on the table.

"We just want it explored.

"That's as little as we're asking for at this stage."

News imageSAVE OUR BRIDGE A line of campaigners standing in the River Stour, holding signs saying "No need for a £1,000,000 new bridge", "Do not waste resources - please repair" and "Save our bridge". Some are wearing waders. There are more campaigners on the bridge. There are trees either side of the structure.SAVE OUR BRIDGE
Essex County Council says it will look at reopening the waterway under the bridge

Campaigners would seek a test from structural engineer firm, Mann Williams, specialists in the sensitive repair of historic buildings and advisors to the National Trust.

The bridge is on the agenda at a meeting of Essex County Council's development and regulation committee, taking place on Friday.

An update for committee members says responses to a consultation on a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) permanently banning motor vehicles are being considered.

The report says if the TRO was approved and made "the planning application to replace the bridge would be withdrawn".

It adds that if a traffic ban is rejected, a long-term solution is needed.

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