A Grade 2 Listed bridge on a busy road in north Dorset will be repaired this June.
The overnight work will take place at Durweston Bridge on the A357, between Monday 26 and Friday 30 June, following damage caused by a road traffic collision.
To keep the impact on motorists to a minimum, the bridge will be closed nightly from 6.30pm until 6am, with a signed diversion in place.
Dorset Council’s in-house team of specialist contractors will carry out the repair work which will include reinstalling stone knocked into the river below by the collision. All existing stonework will be preserved and re-used, with careful cleaning and restoration.
Councillor Ray Bryan, Portfolio Holder for Highways, Travel and Environment, said: “The Grade 2 Listed bridge spans the River Stour and forms part of the busy route between Blandford and Sherborne/Sturminster Newton.
“Many heavy goods vehicles use this important road to make deliveries to businesses and residents, so our specialist team will be doing the work at night to minimise disruption. They will work to complete the work as quickly as possible and, in the meantime, I thank everyone for their patience”.
Kevin Davis, Site Agent (Structures), at Durweston Bridge:
The diversion route specified follows national regulations that state traffic is diverted onto the same classification of road as the road that is closed.
The team worked closely with external organisations, including the Environment Agency, and Historic England, when planning the repairs.
I dread to think how many more times this bridge will be damaged now even bigger lorries are on our roads.