MP and councillors meet residents to discuss re-opening of Colwall Bridge

Herefordshire Council's officers and councillors met more than 100 residents from
Colwall and Colwall Green to discuss the latest position regarding Colwall bridge.

The special meeting on Friday, October 26 was attended by Councillor Brian Wilcox, Herefordshire Council's cabinet member for highways and transportation, ward member Councillor Roy Stockton and engineers from Network Rail, Herefordshire Council and the council's consultants Owen Williams.

Leominster MP Bill Wiggin chaired the meeting. Politicians and engineers answered questions from residents about the bridge closure and wanting to know when it will be re-opened.

Councillor Brian Wilcox said: "Colwall Bridge is top of our priorities and we will be working with our partners to make every effort to return the bridge to service as soon as it is safe to do so.

"If there is any opportunity for light traffic to safely use the bridge, as an interim measure, then that will be taken and we will reopen the bridge as soon as it is deemed safe to do so and we can get the necessary signage and any weight restriction measures in place.

"Consultant engineers Owen Williams have now carried out a second inspection of the 110-year-old Colwall Bridge which is a major step towards re-opening the bridge to traffic.

"In the meantime, Herefordshire Council is working closely with Network Rail and Owen Williams to minimise the effect and duration of the closure," he added.

The inspection, carried out over three nights in October, involved comprehensive inspections by two engineers on all visible elements of the bridge.

This included:

· Measurement, recording and photographing of all defects
· Measurement and recording of all section sizes and spans
· Bricks were removed at two locations (the arches supporting the road) to determine the condition of hidden parts of the cross girders

Results of this detailed and complex assessment will be made available at the end of the year.

Herefordshire Council is continuing with its two-option strategy for the bridge:

· Inspection to determine the capacity of the bridge
· Considering installing a bailey bridge at a cost of £450,000

The assessment will determine what load the bridge can take and bailey bridge designs have now been submitted to Network Rail so they can assess how the proposed bridge will affect the existing bridge.

Many residents were also concerned at the poor quality of the diversion routes, claiming there had been many near accidents on them.

Councillor Wilcox said: "The inspection frequency on the diversion routes has been raised to monthly, which is the highest level of inspection the council operates, and we have also included these routes on our primary winter gritting routes."