More than 3,200 UK bridges need repair, local authorities say

theguardian.com:

An increasing number of Britain’s road bridges are crumbling, with more than 3,200 identified as being substandard with a £1.2bn repair cost, local authorities say.

In the past year, more than 100 council-maintained bridges have been declared unfit for the heaviest vehicles, according to research by the RAC Foundation, with 17 bridges collapsing entirely and 37 partially in that time.

The analysis, based on responses from councils across England, Scotland and Wales, found 3,211 substandard bridges – but only a few hundred were likely to be repaired in the next five years owing to a shortage of funds, authorities said.

The numbers included everything from road bridges spanning small streams, as little as 1.5m wide, to the high-profile closure of the once-busy Hammersmith Bridge across the River Thames. Vehicles have been banned since April 2019 from driving over the west London bridge, after the discovery of cracks in the pedestals of the 135-year-old structure. Reopening hopes were raised this week when the government promised £3m towards the £9m repair costs.

Other examples include Park Bridge, in Aberdeenshire, which has been closed since 2019 with an estimated £750,000 repair bill. Drivers are forced to make an 8-mile diversion.

Devon has the greatest number of bridges in disrepair – 229 – while Dorset has had the most collapses, at 12.

Local authorities said if they had the funds they would have brought 2,374 of the substandard bridges back into full service, but expected to repair only 379 by 2026.

The analysis was based on data provided by 196 councils in response to freedom of information requests. It said the cost of addressing the maintenance backlog for all of Britain’s 71,000 council-maintained road bridges would be