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M5 bridge closures causing traffic 'nightmare' say drivers

Google Brookfield Road bridge, which crosses the M5 near Churchdown in GloucestershireGoogle
Brookfield Road bridge will be closed until December

The closure of a motorway bridge for major repairs is making traffic in the area a "nightmare" drivers have said.

Brookfield Road bridge, which crosses the M5 in Gloucestershire, will be closed until December for essential works, said National Highways.

It is one of three busy routes within a few miles of each other which are currently fully or partially closed.

One driver said his usual 20-minute trip to work now took him more than an hour while another said it was "hell".

Brookfield Road bridge, built in 1970, links Churchdown with Badgeworth and crosses the M5 near junction 11, where major works have been causing disruption since September 2020.

Nearby Staverton Bridge has also been closed for more than a year and residents are unhappy about the impact caused by the overlapping projects.

JThomas/Geograph Junction 11 of the M5 in GloucestershireJThomas/Geograph
Three major engineering projects taking place around junction 11 of the M5 in Gloucestershire are causing traffic disruption

But National Highways said the state of Brookfield Road bridge had deteriorated to the point where the works needed to be carried out urgently, with the project due to begin on 4 January.

Terry Robinson, of National Highways, said it wasn't safe for the bridge to be kept partially open.

"If you see the temporary works that we need there is no room left on the deck and it's for the protection of the public because the way we demolish those bridges is using high pressure water jetting," he said.

The major works at junction 11 are set to finish in March - in time for the Cheltenham Festival - and Staverton Bridge is also due to reopen in the spring.

A National Highways spokesperson said: "We have planned our programme of works as best we can and with as few overlaps as possible to minimise the impact on motorists in the area."

A spokesperson for Gloucestershire County Council said: "National Highways are carrying out emergency repairs to Brookfield Road bridge, so regrettably there is no opportunity to co-ordinate and move dates as the Staverton work was already ongoing."

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