Essential repairs to start at bridge near Gunnislake

Essential repairs are planned to start at Newbridge, Gunnislake, on Monday (13 October).

The bridge was closed during part of February this year when it was struck by a van, which badly damaged the parapet wall and a section of the bridge below road level.

A week long scheme will be carried out to replace coping stones on the Cornwall end of the listed structure, following their recovery from the river.

Traffic lights will be needed at each end of the bridge for the duration of the repairs. During the work to replace the copings, on Monday (13 October) and Tuesday (14 October), the traffic lights will be temporarily placed on all red for durations of up to 15 minutes, but mostly up to 5 minutes, to allow workmen and machinery to work safely in the road. Other repair work will be carried out on the bridge throughout the week without the need for further closures.

Bus services over the bridge will be unaffected as the closures are scheduled to avoid the timetable.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highway Management, said: “Work will be undertaken outside of the peak commuter times, but anyone using this route should expect some minor delays to be caused by the short durations of closures. The brief closures are required for the safety of workmen and highway users. Working at weekends had been considered but traffic flows are generally at a similar level as during the week, while working overnight would present other safety issues together with less than ideal temperatures for the lime mortar. In the circumstances, this is the best solution to minimise delays and it will cause a lot less disruption than a full road closure.”

Advance warning notices about the repairs have been posted on site.