Bridge needs 'thorough health check’ after lorry damage

A bridge "requires a thorough health check" after being damaged by a heavy lorry, a council has warned.

The Bailey Bridge, which spans the River Trent on the Derbyshire and Staffordshire border, near Walton-on-Trent, has been closed since the vehicle got stuck on 24 June.

Derbyshire County Council said it had hoped to reopen the crossing by Tuesday but warned that further structural checks were needed.

It said the bridge would stay shut until early August.

Phil Byron, chair of Walton-on-Trent Parish Council, said the closure was causing "one big traffic nightmare" and that the crossing, which he described as having a "chequered history", had "been a problem for decades".

A Victorian bridge at the site was damaged in flooding and replaced with a military-style structure in 1947, he said.

The bridge was then replaced again in the 1970s, but with a similar design, meaning the crossing was still a single lane with traffic lights at either end.

The structure has both weight and width limits for traffic but Mr Byron said they were ignored "daily".

"And it wouldn't just mean one heavy lorry on the bridge," he added.

"Because the first lorry would go over and then get stuck - and leave a queue of vehicles behind it, all putting strain on the bridge."

The county council said it recognised the inconvenience caused by the continuing closure of bridge, but added "public safety is our top priority".

A spokesperson said: "Due to the extensive damage caused by the lorry to the bridge, the structure requires a thorough health check before it is reopened.

"The lorry was four times over the weight limit for the bridge, which may have caused significant damage.

"For these reasons, the bridge will remain temporarily closed beyond Tuesday, until we have the outcomes of the inspections and safety checks.

"The bridge has already had a specialised inspection but requires further safety checks including a load test to check the bridge is able to take the weight of heavier vehicles."

An entirely new bridge, with a bypass around Walton, is to be built as part of a housing development earmarked for the nearby former Drakelow Power Station site.

A spokesperson for South Derbyshire District Council said planning permission for the homes was granted with the condition a new bridge be built and opened by the developer either by the time 785 of the homes were occupied or by 31 December 2025.

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