Nottingham bridge damaged by lorry could take 12 weeks to fix

A bridge over Nottingham's River Trent that was closed after a lorry crashed off its side could remain partially shut for up to 12 weeks.

The vehicle came off the road at Lady Bay Bridge at 08:51 BST on 4 July.

The bridge was initially closed in both directions but reopened for traffic heading away from the city on Monday.

The county council said part of the bridge's historic structure had been destroyed and a specialist contractor was being used for the repairs.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service said traffic leaving Nottingham had been prioritised to reduce congestion in the city centre.

Gary Wood, the head of transport and highways at Nottinghamshire County Council, said the bridge's parapet would be rebuilt to replicate its previous design.

Materials are being sourced to match its existing, historic style and where possible, materials from the bridge will be reused.

"We are very aware that Lady Bay Bridge is an important route in and out of the city, said Mr Wood.

"We're working really hard to get it reopened as soon as possible.

"It is anticipated that the full reopening will be in 8 to 12 weeks but we're looking at every possible opportunity to accelerate this.

During the work, cyclists have been asked to dismount and use the path due to the narrow lanes.

The disruption comes almost two-and-a-half years after Clifton Bridge was forced to close, causing traffic in the city to come to a standstill.

It was shut for more than 600 days after cracks were found on its concrete structure in February 2020.

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