Great Musgrave Bridge: 'Steady progress' in concrete removal

About two metres (6ft) of concrete has been excavated from the north side of the bridge

Work to remove the controversial concrete infill of a Victorian railway bridge is making "steady progress", the roads body for England has said.

National Highways (NH) poured hundreds of tonnes of concrete under Great Musgrave Bridge, in Cumbria, in July 2021, after claiming it was unstable.

It was later refused retrospective planning permission and Eden District Council ordered its removal.

Protesters had described the infill as an act of "cultural vandalism".

Work is due to be completed by 13 October.

NH said contractor Amco Giffen was "reversing the process of infill", removing material beneath the arch and "carrying out any additional work to strengthen the bridge for safe public use".

It added: "We're nearly one month into our work to remove the infill at Great Musgrave Bridge and we're making steady progress.

"This week we started drilling circular cores into the infill material from the south side of the bridge, similar to what we've been doing from the north side.

"Some of these have now reached the full width of the bridge. Removing the infill in this way enable us to protect the structure as we go, and assess and carry out repairs."

National Highways infilled the bridge, seen here in 2021, as it believed the structure could collapse

The bridge was built from sandstone and limestone blocks in 1862 to carry traffic over the Eden Valley Railway line, which closed in the 1960s.

NH said it had infilled the arch as it feared the structure could collapse if used by heavy vehicles. It was then grassed over.

However, more than 800 people lodged objections.

The infilling is estimated to have cost NH £124,000 with a further amount of up to £431,000 said to have been allocated for the removal works.

Diversions are in place for motorists while the work is being carried out, although the pedestrian route remains open.

The bridge, pictured before the infill, passes over a disused railway line