Proportion of substandard road bridges falls - but 1 in 24 still cannot carry heaviest vehicles
The proportion of road bridges managed by councils across Great Britain that are classified as ‘substandard’ has fallen slightly over the past year.
However, 1 in every 24 bridges (4.3%) is still unable to carry the heaviest vehicles on our roads, including lorries of up to 44 tonnes.
Many of the substandard bridges are subject to weight restrictions. Others will be under programmes of increased monitoring or even managed decline.
In highway engineering, the term ‘bridge’ encompasses major structures spanning estuaries through to stretches of road at least 1.5 metres in length such as might span a culvert carrying water under the carriageway.
The figures come from analysis carried out by the RAC Foundation with the help of the National Bridges Group of ADEPT.
Full press release - Proportion of substandard road bridges falls (racfoundation.org)