UPDATED: A 3 tonne weight limit on the failing road bridge at Newchurch has been imposed this lunchtime (Monday) ahead of a 10-week total road closure later this year.
Island Roads have confirmed that vehicles weighing over 3T are no longer allowed to use Langbridge, meaning medium to heavy traffic will now face a diversion of up to 9 miles.
In addition to the weight limit, a one-way system for all vehicles is now in place on the narrow lanes in the area including Mersley Lane, Newport Shute and Lime Kiln Shute. It is thought vehicles, including HGVs, will be using Lime Kiln Shute to exit onto The Downs. All 6ft 6 restrictions on these roads have been lifted.
From September the road will be closed entirely for a period of 10 weeks to allow repair works to be undertaken, meaning traffic will be unable to travel from Knighton through to Apse Heath – a main route for those travelling to and from the north of the Island.
Back in April temporary traffic lights were erected either side of the bridge in a bid to reduce the speed in which vehicles travel over the structure.
UPDATE TUESDAY: Island Roads have issued a statement on the situation.
A spokesperson for the PFI contractor has said:
“Spicer’s Bridge has been subject to traffic management measures for the last few months and enhanced inspections have been taking place for the past year. It was as a result of an inspection on Friday (July 7) that Island Roads engineers however determined a three-tonne limit was now required.
Article continues below this advertisement “Key stakeholders in the village including businesses and elected representatives have been informed of the new weight limit. A diversion route which avoids the bridge is now in place for HGVs and a one-way system is also in operation for all vehicles on Mersley Lane, Newport Shute and Lime Kiln Shute”.
Island Roads’ Structures Manager Ian Hodson said:
“We appreciate that this is likely to cause inconvenience to local businesses and residents, but these measures are necessary to ensure the safety of the road network and to prevent any further damage to this Grade II listed structure”.
“The bridge strengthening scheme has been prepared and this is scheduled to be undertaken in September, outside of the peak tourism season, as it will mean the closure of Newchurch Shute to vehicles as a through road.
“We had hoped to avoid the need for a weight restriction and have been undertaking regular, frequent inspections to monitor the condition of the bridge. The inspection on Friday confirmed that damage to the bridge had reached a critical level which unfortunately left us with no option but to put in place this weight restriction.”
