Outstanding bridge repairs in Wigan will cost £3m

Outstanding repairs for bridges in Wigan would cost the council millions, according to new research.
Police at the scene after a lorry struck the redundant span of the railway bridge on Rectory Lane, Standish. The resulting repairs caused major delaysPolice at the scene after a lorry struck the redundant span of the railway bridge on Rectory Lane, Standish. The resulting repairs caused major delays
Police at the scene after a lorry struck the redundant span of the railway bridge on Rectory Lane, Standish. The resulting repairs caused major delays

Transport experts say widespread improvement of roads and bridges is desperately needed but severely underfunded.

Repairing all of Wigan’s 109 bridges would cost an estimated £3m, according to analysis of 2017-18 data by the RAC Foundation.

But that’s half the 2016-17 estimate of £6m.

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The analysis was carried out in partnership with the National Bridges Group of ADEPT, a group representing local authority leaders.

RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding described the findings as “worrying”.

He said: “Establishing the condition of our highway bridges provides a litmus test for the condition of our road network.

“The headline message is that councils nationally are facing severe underfunding for all aspects of road maintenance, not just to fill in potholes.

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“We should all be concerned when bridges along major routes are not able to carry the heaviest vehicles on the road.

“Many thousands are subject to enhanced monitoring, speed and weight restrictions, and the cost of bringing them up to scratch is continuing to mount.

“Longer term, the growing maintenance backlog risks pushing more and more bridges into the most worrisome category.”

The RAC Foundation estimated that it would cost £6.7bn to clear the backlog of repairs for Britain’s bridges.

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Local Government Association transport expert Martin Tett said the study “underlines the chronic need for more investment in existing local roads”.

He said: “While the extra one-off £420m funding announced in the Budget will help, only long-term, consistent and fairer government investment in local road maintenance can allow councils to embark on the widespread improvement of our roads and bridges that is desperately needed.”

Mark Tilley, assistant director for infrastructure at Wigan Council said: “We are responsible for, and regularly inspect more than 370 bridges, culverts and subways across the borough.

“We have a regular programme of inspection and maintenance in addition to responding to reports of any damage.

“As with all highway maintenance we would welcome any additional funding to help us manage and improve our roads and bridges for our residents.”