Branston Railway Bridge
Staffordshire County Council takes care of more than 1,200 road and footbridges across the county.
Added to this, we are responsible for:
- Over 6,200 kilometres of roads
- More than 4,360 kilometres of pavements
- 200 kilometres of cycle ways
Around 45% of our road bridges are estimated to be more than 100 years old, with the oldest bridge in the county being more than 200 years old.
We inspect all road bridges at a minimum of every two years, in accordance with nationwide standards, to ensure they stay in reasonable condition.
Branston Bridge was originally built in 1839 when the Birmingham and Derby Junction railway line opened.
It was widened in the 1980s to add a larger footpath on the north side.
In 2009, safety measures were added to prevent vehicles from accidentally ending up on the railway tracks.
Parts of the bridge are now over 186 years old. For comparison, modern bridges are designed to last about 120 years.
In 1992, a 7.5 tonne environmental weight restriction was introduced on Main Street, Branston.
There have been more than 20 inspections of the bridge since 2001. A detailed inspection in 2022 raised concerns and led to further investigation.
Detailed assessments followed throughout 2023 and 2024, looking at options to strengthen the existing structure.
After further investigations and inspections showed that the bridge was deteriorating faster than expected, we introduced weight and width restrictions on 6 August 2024, to keep drivers and railway users safe.
Concrete barriers were also installed at both entrances to the bridge to make sure vehicles followed these restrictions.
After repeated incidents of vehicles ignoring the restrictions we had to close the bridge to traffic for safety reasons.
The bridge was reopened on 19 December 2024, with reduced width restrictions to support the weight restriction and significant additional barriers and signs.
However, it had to close again on December 23 after signs were ignored, barriers damaged, cones moved and continued attempts to drive overweight and oversized vehicles over the bridge were observed, creating an unacceptable safety hazard.
Our plan is to build a concrete saddle reinforced with fibres to strengthen the bridge so it can support 40 to 44 tonnes.
The work will also include additional waterproofing to the concrete saddle to reduce the risk of water causing further deterioration to the brick arch.
Downloadable image of Branston Bridge JPEG (291 KB)
Phase 1 – In Summer 2024, we carried out urgent repairs to stabilise the damaged brickwork in the arch and conducted further investigations. We investigated by taking samples of the bricks to test their strength. We also used cameras to check inside the brickwork for hidden gaps or cavities.
Phase 2 - In December 2024, while the road was closed, repairs were made to the damaged parapet. We carried out further localised repairs to stabilise the brickwork arch during overnight rail possessions
Phase 3 - A strengthening saddle will be installed over 15 weeks, with the road expected to reopen in April/May 2025 for 40/44-tonne traffic. This work is currently pending approval from all relevant parties.
Phase 4 - In Summer 2025, we plan to use nighttime railway possessions to re-point the arch once it has had time to dry.
See our list of frequently asked questions about the Branston Bridge works