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Bridge to be repaired after storm and car damage

Maisie Lillywhite
BBC News, Gloucestershire
BBC A stone bridge carrying a road over a shallow river in Lydney, Forest of Dean, Gloucestershire. There is red and white construction barriers and silver construction fencing, and a Lidl supermarket can be seen in the background with cars parked outside.BBC
The bridge, pictured here before its partial reopening in January, was initially damaged in Storm Bert in November

A bridge that was damaged in a storm and subsequent car crash last year will be repaired this summer.

Due to the high volume of rain that fell during Storm Bert in November 2024, the River Lyd in Lydney burst its banks, with flooding causing damage to Newerne Street Bridge.

Gloucestershire County Council has announced the bridge will be repaired eight months after it was damaged, from Monday 28 July to Friday 15 August, under a temporary two-way traffic light system.

The bridge closed from 24 November due to its fragility and was further damaged when a vehicle crashed into its weakest spot in December. One lane was reopened to vehicles via a two-way traffic light system in January.

A blue Mercedes crashes into a small bridge carrying a road over a river outside a shop at night. Its front end is crumpled, and there is debris on the pavement. A bystander is looking at the car as he walks past.
The Mercedes car hit the weakest part of the bridge in the crash

In an update on 10 April, Gloucestershire County Council said: "The road will remain open throughout our repairs, under temporary two-way traffic lights.

"We would like to thank the local community for their ongoing patience throughout this repair. We are working as swiftly as possible to repair the bridge and fully reopen the road."

An inspection in December revealed one parapet had been cracked down to the arch, and needed to be removed before a diving inspection took place in January.

The diving inspection of the underside of the bridge found it was safe for traffic to resume using it.

In an update in March, the county council said the design of the bridge repairs was almost complete, and was awaiting consent from the Environment Agency to schedule the works for the summer.

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