May the fourth bridge be built?
POLITICIANS KEEN TO PROGRESS PLANS FOR NEW RIVER CROSSING
BUILDING another bridge over the River Trent could be back on the table as political support for the idea grows.
The idea of a fourth bridge over the Trent has been debated heavily for many years, with the issue heightened in February last year when the closure of Clifton Bridge caused widespread traffic issues in the city and beyond.
Costs have so far prevented any such project ever taking place, with a previous estimate of a cost of around £60-£70 million.
An unreleased report into its feasibility in 2016 was leaked last year. The report revealed a fourth bridge would alleviate congestion and boost the economy in the region.
Initial proposals suggested building a new bridge from the back of Colwick Industrial Estate to the land west of Radcliffe-on-trent. However, the matter became a political issue too.
The then-leader of Nottinghamshire County Council, Kay Cutts, argued that any new bridge should be built 10 miles downstream near the existing Gunthorpe Bridge – away from the ward she represented.
But, speaking to the Post, the new leader of the county council, Ben Bradley, who also represents Mansfield as a Conservative MP, says any “pre-existing red lines” are no more.
He says such a proposal is “certainly not off the table”.
“The road network is a work in progress and I one hundred percent recognise that unlocking different bits of highway and new connections is a big step forward in terms of our economic development and job creation,” he said.
“We have got all sorts of projects that we are interested in, Gedling Access Road being one of them, work going on in Clifton and the Toton Link Road.
“In terms of another Trent crossing I do not come into any of these conversations with pre-existing red lines and things that have been off the table in the past certainly
aren’t off the table for me and I am more than happy to discuss them.
“It is clearly an economic and transport issue so I am happy to look at solutions and we are having those conversations.”
Mr Bradley says he would soon be meeting Tom Randall, the MP for Gedling, who also told the Post he would be pressing forward for the project to be discussed further.
The meeting is set to take place within the next few weeks.
Traffic concerns have become more prevalent in the Gedling borough of late, with the £40m Gedling Access Road opening soon.
Some residents nearby fear the new road will simply lead to even more traffic travelling through the borough.
As a result of this and the issues stemming from the closure of Clifton Bridge, Mr Randall says he is even more determined to take the project forward.
Mr Randall added: “For me where this comes from is pre-pandemic when Clifton Bridge closed and that traffic backed up and affected us.
“That went as far as Colwick and Burton Joyce and we were feeling that. One of the things that came up for me was another Trent crossing and I think Clifton Bridge highlighted the issue if one bridge closes.
“It is something that needs to be explored further. It is a project I want to look to take forward.”
Mr Randall said he had recently spoken with Baroness Vere of Norbiton, the Parliamentary Undersecretary of State at the Department for Transport, to discuss the potential for a new bridge.
“It is at that stage that, as a project, its time has come,” he added.