Nottingham's Lady Bay Bridge to fully reopen after lorry crash

BBC Lady Bay BridgeBBC
A lorry struck the brick wall and came off Lady Bay Bridge, which runs over the River Trent

A busy bridge which was closed following a lorry crash is to reopen in both directions, a council has confirmed.

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

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

Nottinghamshire County Council said it will reopen both ways on Saturday subject to a safety inspection.

Part of the historic structure of the bridge - built in the 19th Century - was destroyed in the crash.

Temporary concrete barriers had been installed to make the bridge safe for traffic while permanent repair work was carried out.

The council initially anticipated the bridge could remain shut for up to 12 weeks.

The authority said a full closure of the bridge will be needed from 06:00 BST on Saturday to remove the temporary barriers ahead of the full reopening at 12:00.

Nottinghamshire County Council  Lady Bay BridgeNottinghamshire County Council
Temporary repair work included the installation of heavy-duty concrete barriers

Neil Clarke, cabinet member for transport and environment, said: "It is excellent news that Lady Bay Bridge will fully reopen this weekend.

"We would like to thank motorists for their patience whilst we have been working to make the bridge safe and get it reopen as soon as possible.

"I am pleased that we've been able to do this well ahead of the original 12-week schedule we had in place, and I know that the reopening will be good news for local residents, businesses and anyone travelling into and around the area."

Presentational grey line

Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].