County has most ‘below standard’ bridges in UK
DEVON has the highest number of substandard road bridges in the country, according to a new survey by the RAC Foundation.
It found that the Devon local authority area had by far the most substandard bridges at 222, 74 more than its nearest rival Essex (148), then Somerset (128), Suffolk (119) and Cheshire East (108).
After carrying out the analysis the motoring research charity expressed concerns over the impact of severe weather and a shortage of engineering skills. Its overall survey revealed that one in every 25 bridges on Britain’s local roads are unable to carry the heaviest vehicles, new figures show.
It also found that local authorities identified 2,928 of the 73,208 bridges they are responsible for as being substandard at the end of last year. This means they are too weak to be used by 44-tonne lorries, the heaviest vehicles allowed on public roads.
Many of these bridges are subject to weight restrictions, while others are under programmes of increased monitoring or even managed decline.
Some bridges are substandard because they were built to earlier design standards, while others have deteriorated through age and use. But the proportion of substandard bridges has fallen from 4.4% a year ago to 4.0%.
Between them, local authorities said they would ideally want to bring 1,955 of their substandard bridges back up to full carrying capacity. But budget constraints mean they anticipate that only 292 will have the necessary work done on them within the next five years.
The bridge maintenance work backlog across Britain is an estimated £6.8 billion. The analysis was based on data provided by 201 councils in response to freedom of information requests, and was carried out in partnership with Adept, a group representing local authority bosses responsible for transport and other sectors. Bridges researched ranged from major structures across estuaries to stretches of road at least 5ft (1.5m) in length spanning culverts carrying water under carriageways.
RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said: “This data should not be used as a stick to beat highway authorities with. While on the one hand it looks like councils are holding their own in keeping their road networks functioning, with every year which passes we are seeing the challenge of maintaining climate resilience increase in the face of more extreme weather.
“It is unrealistic to think that there will be vastly more money added to the road and bridge maintenance pot but there are measures that could help stem the tide of decline, such as a real drive to recruit, train and retain engineers with the right expertise, plus the delivery of a fresh five-year funding settlement for local roads, which would at least let highway teams plan ahead.
“Ideally, faced with the long-term challenge of constrained funding and deteriorating weather, we desperately need innovative engineering solutions to provide cheaper, more resilient repairs.
“The real danger lies in the change in climate – more temperature extremes and more wind, rain, snow and ice put are putting an ever-greater strain on the foundations of our roads and the structures that carry them.”
Darren Rodwell, transport spokesman for the Local Government Association, said: “Despite their best efforts, funding constraints limit the amount that councils can do.” He added: “Long-term, consistent funding for all councils would provide certainty for them to properly plan ahead and focus on preventative measures, to make all of our local highways infrastructure more resilient.”