Emergency repairs to Denham Bridge, near Bere Alston, have been completed and the bridge will re-open this evening (Wednesday 8 May) – two weeks ahead of schedule.
Around three metres of the parapet of the Grade II Listed bridge have had to be rebuilt after being damaged on the evening of Thursday 18 April. It’s the second time this year the Grade II Listed bridge has been shut after being damaged by vehicles.
Our bridge engineers met with local residents earlier this week to discuss what’s being done to better protect the bridge from careless driving.
Protective concrete Legato blocks, installed on one approach to the bridge ahead of the latest incident, were also hit. They have been re-positioned to guide large vehicles to take a wider approach across the bridge.
A max width limit of 6’ 6” (2 metres) is already in place at Denham Bridge and advance warning signs give larger vehicles the opportunity to turn around. We’ve now also applied for an 8-metre max length restriction, which is due to come into force in the coming days.
Additional measures which were discussed with the local community, such as surveillance cameras, are also being explored.
Councillor Stuart Hughes, Cabinet Member for Highway Management, said:
“The contractors have put in a huge effort to get this repair completed and they should be thanked for their efforts in ensuring the bridge is being re-opened so quickly. Our officers held an extremely positive meeting with the local community to discuss the protection of the bridge and residents were supportive of what’s being done. Everyone is in agreement how precious Denham Bridge is and we share the same aim in wanting to do everything possible to protect it. We’re committed to keeping the structure and the public safe and we would remind drivers to please take care when driving on all of Devon’s road network.”
Councillor Philip Sanders, County Councillor for Yelverton Rural, said:
“The recent series of events involving Denham Bridge has highlighted the level of community support in looking for long term solutions to the problem of vehicle damage to the bridge. The recent meeting brought forth a wide range of views on actions that could be taken and gave the opportunity for these to be discussed with Devon County Council’s Chief Officer for bridges. It allowed those present to be aware of the practical and legal issues that some of the proposals would encounter and resulted in a good all-round understanding that things are not always as simple as they may seem at first sight.
“I am sure the proposed short term measures will go a long way to help protect the bridge while the options for more permanent measures can be agreed and put in place. Credit must go to Devon County Council for getting the bridge open again in a much shorter time than the initial estimate. Highways have also managed to get the approach roads surface dressed while they were closed so minimising any further disruption.”
Devon County Council is still appealing for information on the vehicle which damaged the structure on Thursday 18 April. Anyone who witnessed the incident and is able to provide details of the vehicle is asked to please contact Devon’s Customer Service Centre on 0345 155 1004.