£6m gateway improvement scheme set to start
A £6.1m scheme to safeguard the future of two gateway routes into Burton upon Trent will finally get underway later this month.
The project by Staffordshire County Council will firstly allow vital strengthening work on St Peter’s Bridge to allow HGVs to continue to access the town. The work, which will start on August 29, will also see the bridge waterproofed and resurfaced.
This will be followed by improvements to Burton Bridge in the New Year.
Cllr Mark Deaville, Staffordshire’s cabinet member for highways, said: “This is an important investment in the gateways to the town and will help make a real difference to the long term prosperity of people in Burton.
“The improvements will ensure that these bridges, which form vital links through Burton, will be free of unplanned and disruptive maintenance work in the future, and help support local businesses and economic growth.”
He said efforts would be made to try and minimise disruption from the work.
Burton MP Andrew Griffiths, who lobbied Government for the funding, said the scheme offered a real boost to the town’s economy.
“Now that we have secured the much-needed funding it will be great to see the work get underway and, while some inconvenience is inevitable, it is important that we all remember the long-term benefits this investment will bring,” he said.
To allow the strengthening work to be carried out safely, St Peter’s Bridge will be closed both ways with traffic diverted via Burton Bridge and pedestrians via Ferry Bridge. Work is expected to take around three months and should be completed by the end of November.
Additionally, work on Burton Bridge including strengthening, resurfacing and upgrading gullies to help prevent surface flooding will also be carried out following the New Year break. During the work, the bridge will be closed to all traffic which will be diverted via St. Peter’s Bridge.
The funding for the project is part of the multi-million pound Highway Challenge Fund by the Department for Transport. In total, 19 projects across the country will receive a share of £75m of government investment for essential road maintenance, to refurbish bridges, improve junctions and boost flood defences.
