Local bridge standards decline and full collapses increase

24/03/2022 | DOMINIC BROWNE

The number of local road bridges that fully collapsed in Great Britain last year increased by 70%, while the overall number of substandard structures rose for the second year running to reach 3,211, according to a major survey.

The number of structures that collapsed increased from 10 to 17 while the number of substandard bridges saw a 3.4% increase on the 3,105 figure at the end of 2020 and up 5% on the 3,055 figure a year before that.

The £1.16bn estimated cost to bring all the substandard bridges back up to perfect condition was up slightly on the £992m figure of a year earlier.

Carried out by the RAC Foundation with the help of the National Bridges Group of ADEPT, the survey is based on data provided by 196 councils, which are responsible for maintaining 70,944 bridges meaning roughly 4.5% of the bridge assets are substandard.

The RAC/ADEPT analysis found the one-time cost to clear the full maintenance backlog on all 70,944 bridges would be £5.44bn.

Between them, councils say they would ideally want to bring 2,374 (74%) of the 3,105 substandard bridges back up to full carrying capacity. However, budget limitations mean they anticipate that only 379 of these will have the necessary work carried out on them within the next five years.

Overall, the current number of substandard bridges is below the 3,194 total for 2018 and the 3,441 figure for 2017, suggesting that councils had been 'fighting to hold their ground over the last five years', Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said.

'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,' he added.

The national level

 

Number of bridges 

Number of substandard bridges 

Proportion of substandard bridges 

Highways England 

9,399 

77 

1% 

Transport Scotland 

2,612 

39 

1% 

Welsh Assembly 

1,268 

104 

8% 

 

At the end of 2021, councils reported that 17 bridges had fully collapsed in the previous twelve months. Of these 17 full collapses, 12 were in Dorset and 5 were in Denbighshire.

A further 37 had partially collapsed in: Denbighshire (17); Conwy (2); Perth and Kinross (2); Stirling (2); and Dorset, Aberdeenshire, Bolton, Buckinghamshire, East Dunbartonshire, East Riding of Yorkshire, Fife, Gwynedd, Merton, Newport, Peterborough, Shropshire, Staffordshire and Wrexham ( with 1 each).

Last year's survey reported 10 bridges across Great Britain had fully collapsed and 30 partially collapsed.

A bridge is defined by highway engineers as a structure over 1.5m in span and a substandard bridge means one unable to carry the heaviest vehicles now seen on our roads, including lorries of up to 44 tonnes.

Many of the substandard bridges are subject to weight restrictions, the RAC Foundation said, while, others will be under programmes of increased monitoring or even managed decline.

At the same time as facing increasing repairs, council engineering experts are warning about a shortage of staff to carry out inspections to ensure the bridge stock remains safe and fit for use.

Kevin Dentith, chair of the ADEPT National Bridges Group, said: 'The shortage of experienced and qualified people to undertake these crucial duties is putting a huge strain on the bridges fraternity who are struggling to recruit and often have to resort to ‘growing their own’ through apprentice schemes which are excellent but clearly require a great deal of time, commitment and training before the staff are proficient to carry out the tasks required.

'The incidence of bridge collapses that lead to personal injury and traffic disruption is thankfully low but unless more engineers and technicians are encouraged to join the industry and highway authorities receive appropriate funding from the Department for Transport we are at risk of seeing a higher number of bridge collapses than those identified in this year’s RAC Foundation survey.’

This survey results are the second blow to local infrastructure in a week as it comes on the heels of a £2bn jump in the local roads maintenance backlog in England and Wales, now running at more than £12bn, recorded in the ALARM survey.

Highways InProfile

latest magazine issue
Highways jobs

Engineer, Highways Asset Maintenance CDC

Grade 9, £38,653 - £42,728
City of Doncaster employs around 4,300 staff, who work together with Team Doncaster partners Doncaster, South Yorkshire
Recruiter: City Of Doncaster Council

Head of Fleet and Depot Services

Circa £80,000
It couldn’t be a better time to join Merton Council. Merton, London (Greater)
Recruiter: London Borough of Merton

Fleet Officer

£34,416 - £35,448
We are seeking a proactive and detail-oriented Fleet Officer to join our team. Greenwich, London (Greater)
Recruiter: Royal Borough of Greenwich

Team Leader LGV Driver

£27,711 - £30,559, Grade 6, 37 hours, Permanent
An exciting opportunity exists in the Council’s Street Scene Services for a Team Leader LGV Driver Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Recruiter: Wakefield Council

Team Leader LGV Driver (Seasonal Post)

£20,783.25 - £22,919.25, Grade 6, 27.25 hours, Permanent
An exciting opportunity exists in the Council’s Street Scene Services for a Team Leader LGV Driver Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Recruiter: Wakefield Council

Network Manager

Grade 14, £56,385 to £60,592 per annum
Ready for your next big challenge in highways management? Isle of Wight
Recruiter: Isle of Wight Council

Transport Strategy Officer

Grade 12, £45,647 to £47,966 per annum
The council are looking for a Transport Strategy Officer who will play a leading role in what is both locally and nationally a very dynamic area. Isle of Wight
Recruiter: Isle of Wight Council

Traffic & Network Engineer

£31067 to £37937 Per annum
Traffic & Network Engineer Portsmouth
Recruiter: Portsmouth City Council

Highway Asset Officer (Design/Delivery)

£34,314 - £37,938 per annum
Are you passionate about making a difference in your community? Devon
Recruiter: Devon County Council

Trainee Sign Shop Technician

£25998 - £31469
Job TitleTrainee Sign Shop Tec... Wandsworth, London, UK
Recruiter: London Borough of Richmond upon Thames and London Borough of Wandsworth

Senior Highways Technician x 2 positions - WMF1684e

£33,366 - £34,314
We are looking for strong communicators, as you will provide advice and guidance to colleagues. Kendal, Cumbria
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Programme Control Officer - Capital Programmes - WMF1686e

£37,035 - £37,938
The Programme Control Officer role will mainly be focussed on managing and controlling a wide variety of programme delivery information. Kendal, Cumbria
Recruiter: Westmorland and Furness Council

Highways Officer - South

G7
Lincolnshire County Council
Recruiter: Lincolnshire County Council

Assistant Highways Officer - South

£26,409 - £29,093
Lincolnshire County Council would like to know how you feel about potholes! Lincolnshire / South
Recruiter: Lincolnshire County Council

Assistant Highways Officer - West

£26,409 - £29,093
Lincolnshire County Council would like to know how you feel about potholes! Lincolnshire / West
Recruiter: Lincolnshire County Council

Assistant Highways Officer - North

£26,409 - £29,093
Lincolnshire County Council would like to know how you feel about potholes! Lincolnshire / North
Recruiter: Lincolnshire County Council

Assistant Highways Officer - East

£26,409 - £29,093
Lincolnshire County Council would like to know how you feel about potholes! Lincolnshire / East
Recruiter: Lincolnshire County Council

Structures Assistant Engineer

£34,314 to £37,938 p.a. Grade 9
Highways Services at Durham County Council are responsible for the maintenance of the Highway Infrastructure across County Durham, including approxima Durham
Recruiter: Durham County Council

Senior Engineer (Consultancy)

£43,693 - £50,788
e are seeking a positive, experienced, enthusiastic, talented, and driven professional who cares about the development of our great city Coventry, West Midlands
Recruiter: Coventry City Council

Senior Development Management Engineer

£37,938 - £44,711
We are seeking a positive, experienced, enthusiastic, talented, and driven professional who cares about the development of our great city Coventry, West Midlands
Recruiter: Coventry City Council
SUBSCRIBE NOW

Latest Video

Subscribe to Highways today to ensure you keep your finger on the pulse of everything happening in the UK road network throughout the year.

SUBSCRIBE NOW