CUMBRIA County Council has  announced it is closing Victoria Bridge to all traffic for four weeks as a ‘safety precaution’.

Traffic congestion at virtually all major entrances to Kendal for the past week has been causing chaos for motorists.

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And yesterday afternoon (Wednesday) Cumbria County Council closed Victoria Bridge to all traffic, including cyclists and pedestrians, following further damage caused by continuous fast flowing water.

 

The bridge had already been closed to westbound traffic since January 6 after erosion was found under the bridge pillar on the upstream side.

A further inspection by a specialist diving team revealed that the river bed has now been eroded underneath a second bridge pillar.

As a result, the county council has now introduced a full closure of the bridge as a safety precaution.

The closures, in addition to roadworks being carried out on Romney Road, have left motorists facing delays and long queues at Milnthorpe Road, Windermere Road and Shap Road.

Drivers are also being inconvenienced by bridges being out at Staveley, Burneside and Natland.

A council spokesperson said: “Our design team is creating repair plans now and we expect work to start on the bridge in around two weeks, by which time the necessary equipment will be on site.

"That work will take around a week, with a further week needed for the repair to ‘cure’ before it can be fully reopened to traffic – around four weeks in total. The council is also reviewing all scheduled roadworks in Kendal to ease the pressure on the road network.”

A signed diversion via Parkside Road, Sedbergh Road and Sandylands Road will be in place during the bridge closure. This route is suitable for all traffic except HGVs because of a 13 feet 3 inch height restriction.