A £1.45 million bridge over the Severn which opened only 18 months ago is about to be closed for repairs. While the footbridge linking Alveley and Highley is shut, some people face an extra 18 miles on their journey to work.
The bridge is also the link between two major leisure attractions – the Severn Valley Country Park and the Severn Valley Railway with its new Engine House museum.
Repairs are needed because of problems with the footpath surface – the latest blow in the troubled bridge’s history.
Its opening in December 2006 had already been delayed for more than a year because of problems during its construction. Firstly there were difficulties with the foundations, then engineers discovered that the deck was flatter than it should have been, causing drainage problems.
Councillor Colin Taylor, the district councillor for Alveley, said the footpath surface had started to come away and the original contractor had been recalled to correct matters.
“The work entails closing the bridge between 9am and 4.30pm,” he said. “Unfortunately, a number of people who use the bridge and live in Highley work on Alveley Industrial Estate where shift patterns don’t always correspond to office hours.
“Eardington Wholesale Meat, especially, start work at 4am and finish at lunchtime. In this day and age where we are trying to help rather than harm our environment we should be finding ways of keeping people off the road — not forcing them to drive further.
“An extra 18 miles a day will add up to a tidy sum over the time the bridge is out of action. These people do not earn huge sums and this will undoubtedly cost far more. There must be a solution to this, it is important.”
Mr Taylor said he had spoken to the county council and Mouchel Parkman, the contractor, who had contacted Eardington to see if a pause during the day could be made to allow shift workers to cross.
Shropshire County Council’s bridge team leader, John Williams, said they had delivered letters to all businesses on Alveley Industrial Estate.
“We have specifically written to employers about the problems they may face and we have invited anyone who may experience difficulties while repair work is going ahead to contact us,” he said. “Since then, one business has got back in touch explaining that some members of staff may have difficulties, as they work in Alveley and live in Highley.
“We have not yet decided how we will tackle this, but we will accommodate them when the time comes.”
Mr Williams said repair costs were being paid for by the contractor. The bridge will be closed from September 15 for a maximum of two weeks.
