Residents fume at poor communication after major bridge shut

The repair work at High Orchard Bridge
The repair work at High Orchard Bridge -Credit:Submitted


The way a major bridge in Gloucester was closed at midnight and reopened 16 hours later has been criticised for the lack of communication to residents and motorists. The High Orchard Bridge carrying St Ann Way over the Gloucester and Sharpness Canal was shut for most of Tuesday.

Although notification was put out on social media by Gloucestershire County Council's highways department, motorists complained about the lack of road signs. This mean motorists heading into the city were caught out - with some who had driven down Llanthony Road having to do U-turns at the Sainsbury's car park.

The closure came after the bridge that is a key route to Gloucester Quays was unable to be opened after cracks were found - meaning boats were unable to pass under the bridge. the bridge is owned by the Canal and River Trust and they asked the highways team to close the bridge for safety reasons because of forecast strong winds..

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Hempsted resident Dave Bucknell says closure of the bridge for safety reasons was understandable. But he cannot understand why there were no warning communications by the CRT and Gloucestershire Highways.

He said: "It was the lack of signage on Bristol Road and Llanthony Road and the lack of a diversion that didn't help. On Monday the CRT decided to close the bridge because of high winds but by Tuesday those high winds blew over the road closed signs. There just wasn't an effective communications plan."

"Recent inspections have identified repairs are required at the base of the bridge's masts, and we have mobilised quickly to appoint specialist contractors to carry out the repairs", say the Canal and River Trust.
"Recent inspections have identified repairs are required at the base of the bridge's masts, and we have mobilised quickly to appoint specialist contractors to carry out the repairs", say the Canal and River Trust. -Credit:Submitted

Another resident living nearby told Gloucestershire Live that the situation has been "appalling". They said the authorities had been "bad at keeping the community informed".

The MP for Gloucester Richard Graham posting on Facebook said: The issue is now resolved and the bridge reopened. I’ve spoken with both organisations today, so that decisions are better communicated going forward."

In a statement, the Canal and River Trust said: "The Trust is currently carrying out repairs to High Orchard Bridge, which carries St Ann Way over the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal. We expect the repairs to be completed by the end of the month, with the bridge returned to its original and fully operational condition.

“We are sorry for the inconvenience that was caused earlier this week. Safety is the priority, and with such high winds, it was necessary to temporarily close the bridge to traffic. With no further high winds forecast, we are not expecting any further disruption, unless required as part of the works, in which case we’d seek to do those works overnight.”

The Trust add that "recent inspections have identified repairs are required at the base of the bridge's masts, and we have mobilised quickly to appoint specialist contractors to carry out the repairs."

A spokesperson for Gloucestershire County Council said: “We apologise for the issues with the diversion signage following the recent closure of High Orchard Bridge and we apologise for any inconvenience or confusion caused.

“This was not a planned closure, it was closed following a request from the bridge owners, the Canal and River Trust, to temporarily close the bridge for safety reasons. Should any further closures be needed, we will work with the Canal and River Trust to give residents as much notice as possible and ensure appropriate signage is in place.”