Major road to remain closed due to bridge damage

The road closed in September after the bridge was damaged in poor weather

Plans to partially reopen an A-road have been postponed after engineers found a bridge was in "much worse condition" than first thought.

Part of the A40 London Road in Charlton Kings, Cheltenham, was closed in September for repairs to be carried out on Hambrook Bridge, which collapsed after poor weather.

Gloucestershire County Council had hoped to open one lane in time for the November meeting at Cheltenham Racecourse, which is known for being one of the busiest weekends for local traffic.

Councillor Joe Harris said: "I know that the ongoing closure of the A40 London Road is causing frustration for local people and we apologise for the inconvenience."

"If there were a safe way to reopen sooner, we absolutely would," added Mr Harris, cabinet member for highways.

Damage to Hambrook bridge is worse than first thought

The bridge over the River Chelt is believed to have been designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, the engineer who designed the Clifton Suspension Bridge in Bristol, and is a historically significant structure.

The council said the collapse had revealed underlying problems and it needed to deploy a specialist to help preserve the bridge's heritage.

It added some essential services, such as live fibre optic cables below the road's surface, would make repairs more complex.

Joe Harris says engineers are working at pace to fix the bridge

"Unfortunately, Hambrook bridge is in a much worse condition than first anticipated and the area cannot safely support one-way traffic at this stage," Mr Harris said.

"This means the full road closure will need to remain in place during the November meeting. We completely understand and share the community's frustration.

Mr Harris said engineers were "working at pace to fix the bridge as soon as possible".

"We'll continue to keep everyone updated as progress is made."