Lady Bay Bridge: Repair work starts on lorry crash bridge

Repair work has started on a bridge that was closed after a lorry crashed down an embankment.

The vehicle came off the road at Lady Bay Bridge over Nottingham's River Trent on 4 July.

The bridge was initially closed in both directions but reopened to traffic leaving the city a week later.

Nottinghamshire County Council said it hoped to fully reopen the "important route" in and out of the city by the end of August.

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

Dan Maher, managing director at Via East Midlands, said: "There has been substantial damage to the bridge, and first and foremost it is about making it safe.

"The size of some of the bits of parapet that came off shows how big the damage was."

Mr Maher said the bridge, built in the 19th Century, was of "historical importance".

"It is very important we get an exact match with the bridge as it was before it was damaged," he said.

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

The parapet will also be rebuilt to replicate the previous design.

The council initially anticipated the bridge could remain partially shut for up to 12 weeks, but now hopes to fully reopen it by the end of the August.

Neil Clarke, the council's cabinet member for transport and environment, said: "It's my ambition to get it open before the end of the school holidays.

"So when all the traffic comes we have got the bridge open in both directions so hopefully that gridlock doesn't happen."

In February 2020, Clifton Bridge was forced to close until October 2021 when cracks were found in its concrete structure, causing months of traffic disruption across the city and county.

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