Government funding sought for bridge repairs

A local authority has applied for government funding to restore a road bridge that has been partially closed to traffic for the past two years.

Vehicles weighing more than 7.5 tonnes have been unable to travel over Oxford's Donnington Bridge since 2024 after structural issues were uncovered.

Earlier this year, an inspection by Oxfordshire County Council found it may need lengthy repairs or have to be replaced entirely before it could fully reopen.

The council has now bid for £8m from the government's Structures Fund to cover the costs of restoration work. It said it would invest a further £2m alongside this, taking the scheme's overall cost to £10m.

Liz Leffman, the authority's cabinet member for highways construction and repair, said the ongoing weight limit had "inconvenienced residents" while disrupting public transport.

It had also "increased journey times and decreased efficiency" across Oxford's road network, she said.

"That is why we have been working hard to put this bid to government together," she added.

Leffman said the council believed that its funding application met "all of the relevant criteria", and that it was "hopeful of a positive outcome".

"We want to see Donnington Bridge restored to full working capacity for the benefit of all road users and the residents of the city generally," she said.

Donnington Bridge connects Abingdon Road to Iffley Road, and is one of the few points to cross the River Thames from within Oxford's ring road.

In March, the council said a recent inspection by its structural engineering team found the bridge needs to be repaired with new cables or replaced entirely before full-sized buses could use it again.

It added that the "actual condition" of the bridge's post-tensioned cables was "unknown and difficult to determine without causing structural damage".