Reprieve for vital Mid-Norfolk extension bridge
MEANWHILE, the Melton Constable Trust and Mid-Norfolk Railway, with help from Norfolk County Council and MPs Jerome Mayhew and George Freeman, have prevented Gateley Bridge – known as Bridge 1711 – near Great Ryburgh, from being infilled.
The bridge is on the route of a future northern extension of the MNR from County School to Fakenham and also the mooted Norfolk Orbital Railway, which is designed to link the MNR and the North Norfolk Railway.
A spokesman for Highways England said the major problem with the bridge was its three-ton weight limit that was regularly being abused by heavier vehicles weighting up to 30 tonnes. However, Bridge 1711 has long had a weight restriction because it was never constructed for heavy vehicles, as the lane it carries is unsuited to such traffic.
The simple answer to any concern was to ensure the enforcement of that regulation. After talks with Norfolk County Council, the local authority installed low-cost physical barriers that have created a width restriction, effectively excluding large vehicles and preventing the weight limit from being abused in this way.
The trust’s project officer, Paul Young, said: “The work that the MPs did to influence Highways England and involve the county council in designing a technical solution was vital. Once an excellent piece of straightforward design work was done by the council, it was clear that a simple width restriction on vehicles using the bridge would provide a very cost-effective solution.
“Infilling the bridge would have cost vastly more and would surely have been an awful waste of public money.”
George Freeman, MP for the Mid Norfolk constituency, said: “Although not currently on the MNR, Bridge 1711 lies on the path on which the MNR hopes to extend its track up to Fakenham one day.
“Were it to be infilled, a significant obstacle would be put in the railway’s way – one that would be very costly (possibly prohibitively so) to reverse in the future.
“I am delighted therefore to report that, alongside Jerome Mayhew (in whose constituency the bridge actually lies), our collective efforts have since brought about a resolution that avoids infilling the bridge.
“This is great news and I hope that one day the MNR will be able to extend up to Fakenham as envisioned.”
A spokesman for Highways England said: “At present, the plan is not to infill Gateley Bridge.”
Regarding the infilling of disused bridges, trust chairman Trevor Bailey said: “In our view and that of a great many other people, this is a classic example of a short-sighted policy which, if not checked, will destroy a very large number of railway assets that are likely to be needed in the future and wreck the efforts of many organisations working on rail restoration and related projects.”
“In our view and that of a great many other people, this is a classic example of a short-sighted policy which, if not checked, will destroy a very large number of railway assets...”