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Bridge repair call by MP five years after collapse

Adrian Harms/BBC A gate seals off access to the site of the bridge which collapsed in heavy rain Adrian Harms/BBC
The route to the site of the Tumbling Weir Bridge has been closed off.

An MP is calling for a town centre bridge to be repaired five years after it collapsed into a river after heavy rain.

Guildford MP Zöe Franklin is meeting the National Trust to find out when the Tumbling Weir Bridge in the town centre will be repaired.

The bridge and Wey Navigation tow path linked Guildford to Godalming and was regularly used by cyclists, runners and walkers, who instead have to divert onto the busy A281 to access the path and River Wey.

The National Trust is repairing the bridge after discussions with Guildford Borough Council over who needed to fund it.

Both organisations split the £800,000 costs of temporary weir repairs when the bridge collapsed in 2019.

This was followed by four years of talks “to reach a shared approach” for the bridge repairs.

They are estimated to cost several million pounds.

Ms Franklin told BBC Radio Surrey she wanted to know why it has taken so long and when repairs are likely to be finished.

The costs of repairs could be a “financial challenge”, she added.

The bridge “is a missing piece, because we want to be able to have that non road connection to Godalming and it’s just a really lovely walk or cycle.”

Adrian Harms/BBC The river flows quickly and a gate blocks access where the bridge collapsedAdrian Harms/BBC
Walkers, runners and cyclists have to take an alternative route until the bridge is repaired.

The National Trust commissioned a specialist engineering firm to do a feasibility study this summer.

The heritage charity said the report will help it draw up a plan and a timetable for the work.

A spokesperson said it was likely to be an “extended timeframe given various complexities, the consents needed and the significant cost in charitable funds”.

One resident told BBC Surrey “it would be lovely to have it back for cycling and walking”.

They said it would be “easier if the bridge was open” rather than having to go on the road for a stretch.

The National Trust said: “We understand the importance of the riverside walks that the Navigation offers to the community of Guildford, and the role that these areas play for wellbeing, socialising, exercise, leisure and just being out and enjoying nature.”

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