Concern over number of substandard bridges in Shropshire and Mid Wales
The number of bridges unable to carry the heaviest vehicles on Britain's roads has risen for the second year running – with Powys the third highest in Wales.
Local authorities identified 3,211 bridges as being substandard at the end of last year, the RAC Foundation said.
The figure is up 3.4 per cent on the total of 3,105 in 2020, and up 5.1 per cent on the figure of 3,055 in 2019.
For Powys there were 47 bridges deemed 'substandard', equating to three per cent of the county's 1,399 bridges.
In Shropshire there were 17 out of 781 – two per cent, while Telford & Wrekin has eight out of 269 – three per cent.
Many of the bridges are subject to weight restrictions, while others are under programmes of increased monitoring or even managed decline.
Councils across the country have also reported that 17 bridges fully collapsed during the previous 12 months – while there were six partial collapses in Powys.
Some are substandard because they were built to earlier design standards, while others have deteriorated through age and use.
Between them, local authorities say they would ideally want to bring 2,374 of the 3,105 substandard bridges back up to full carrying capacity.
But budget constraints mean they anticipate that only 379 will have the necessary work carried out on them within the next five years.
RAC Foundation director Steve Gooding said: "What the data suggests is that councils have been fighting to hold their ground over the last five years.
"Whilst the increase in substandard bridges year-on-year is not huge, the picture over the last five years looks more like flatlining than sustained improvement, and with the threat of more severe weather events linked to climate change that must be a worry for the overall resilience of our highway network."
Matt Perry, Powys County Council’s head of highways, transport and recycling, said: “Bridges are an essential component to the highway network which we have a duty to maintain in a safe condition. As the largest county in Wales, Powys has over 5,000km of roads and 1,399 bridges, significantly more than other Welsh councils.
“Bridges that fail an assessment for carrying 44-tonne vehicles are managed in a number of ways to ensure the safety of the user. Weight limits are used to reduce the effects of loading and help preserve structures for the future. Bridges categorised as substandard can include those that were built to earlier design standards or those that have deteriorated with age.
“The decision for implementing a weight limit is not taken lightly. The rate of deterioration of a bridge is assessed alongside the failure mechanisms and the consequence of failure. These factors are balanced against the cost and viability of strengthening works as well as the traffic flows over the structure.
“Bridges across Powys are inspected regularly to identify problems. Where issues are identified or there is a risk of damage from, for example, flooding, then the bridges are monitored more frequently.
“The council will continue to invest in bridge works, but these need to be ranked against other much-needed highway works."
