News / Kingsweston
Long-awaited repairs to historic bridge one step closer
Long-awaited repairs to the listed bridge at Kingsweston have come one step closer.
Early in the morning of June 11, the road was coned off and closed so that an inspection of Kingsweston Iron Bridge could be carried out.
The historic footbridge, which crosses Shirehampton Road and links the Blaise and Kingsweston estates, has been closed to the public since being damaged by a lorry in 2015.
is needed now More than ever
Since then locals have been campaigning for repairs to the structure.
Campaigner Janet Poole saw the two-man inspection team arrive and use a hydraulic raised platform to inspect the underside of the bridge.
The two-man team inspect the iron bridge over Shirehampton Road – photo: Janet Poole
“I couldn’t believe it was happening at last,” Poole said. “I saw the sign saying the road would be closed and I made sure I was down there.”
She told Bristol24/7 that the team was very friendly and she was able to ask them lots of questions.
The bridge, which is in a dangerous condition, is currently held up with scaffolding and both ends are fenced off to stop pedestrians using the structure.
Despite this, people have been using the bridge, with a group of people breaking through the fence and climbing onto the bridge as the inspection took place.
The whole bridge will be removed for repair, with the scaffolding intact to protect it. Some new parts have already been cast by a specialist foundry in Stourbridge.
When the bridge is re-erected, the abutments on either side will be built up to make the bridge higher and safe from future lorry strikes.
? We’re investing £1m to fix #Bristol’s Kings Weston Iron Bridge, after it was hit by a driver who didn’t stop
? Support our plans to reinstall the bridge in a raised position, before they’re voted on by the Planning Committee
? Search 22/02249/FB on https://t.co/ILhVHCHJTQ pic.twitter.com/EzJocxA5or
— Marvin Rees (@MarvinJRees) May 18, 2022
For Poole, this is not only a victory for the local community but a personal one as the campaign has dominated her life. At one point, she even threatened to take up residence on College Green until the bridge was opened.
Don Alexander, cabinet member for transport and Labour councillor for Avonmouth and Lawrence Weston, said: “Following approval by cabinet, we are now working on £1 million plans that include dismantling the bridge and repairing it off-site, then reinstating it using money from our Highway Infrastructure Bridge Investments fund.
“I am pleased we now have a workable way forward to secure the long-term future of this historic footbridge.”
Mary Milton is reporting on Sea Mills as part of Bristol24/7’s community reporter scheme, a project which aims to tell stories from areas of Bristol traditionally under-served by the mainstream media
Main photo: Janet Poole
Read next:
- ‘It’s been five years, get it fixed’
- Campaigners criticise £1m footbridge repairs as ‘inaccessible’
- Work begins to build new cycle lane on Bristol Bridge
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