Bridge lane closure a nightmare, says residents

Traffic around a town has been described as a "nightmare" by residents who "fear the worst" if the partial closure of a £32m bridge was not restored.

The King's Dyke bridge, which connects Peterborough and Whittlesey over the Peterborough-Ely railway line, was opened in 2022 to ease traffic caused by a level crossing.

Yet two years after it opened, it was partially closed in June after cracks were spotted in the westbound carriageway.

Cambridgeshire County Council said the emergency lane closure and temporary traffic lights on the bridge remained in place while investigations were carried out.

The bridge, known as the Ralph Butcher Causeway, was named in honour of a former Fenland district councillor who campaigned for it to be built in the 1970s.

Resident Phil Slinger, from Whittlesey, believed the bridge was "built in the wrong place" to begin with, while Bob Athow believed it was "sinking".

Mr Slinger, 71, said: "It is a pain to get around Whittlesey, especially in rush hour."

Peter Vincent said: "It's an absolute nightmare to go to Peterborough or to come from there. It should be a 15-minute journey but it's now 45/50 minutes now."

Clive Vaughan from Peterborough Road said the bridge was key for drivers in Whittlesey.

"There’s potential that bridge could be shut and, if it does, it will kill Whittlesey. We only have a few B roads to access Peterborough, and they are awful.

"We find infuriating that politicians are not getting contingency plans in place.

"We fear the worst. Nobody seems to be doing anything or telling us what is going on."

Chris Boden, a Conservative councillor on Cambridgeshire County Council, called the issue "frustrating" and said the community was being "kept in the dark".

"We do not know what the prognosis is for the bridge.

"A lot of work has been done in the last 10 days on the bridge, measurements are being taken, lots of digging. But we as the community are not getting any feedback.

"When the bridge was planned, three options were given and the current location was chosen by the people of Whittlesey after public consultations.

"Speculating about the cause of the problem is pointless. We should wait for the county council to give us the investigation results," he said.

Cambridgeshire County Council apologised for the inconvenience and said: "The results of these ongoing investigations will inform our next steps."

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