Changing weather patterns worrying bridge engineers

Devon is among councils with the most substandard bridges in Britain, according to research by the RAC Foundation.

One in every twenty-five council-maintained road bridges in Great Britain is officially deemed as substandard, according to research by the RAC Foundation.

In December 2023 the Foundation approached all 208 local highways authorities in England, Scotland and Wales, and based its analysis on Freedom of Information responses from 201 of them.

Of the 2720 bridges 222 were identified as substandard the highest number in the Country. Devon County Council said many "substandard" bridges were historic or had weight restrictions. The Council also pointed out that 73 of these were historic granite clapper bridges on Dartmoor.

Devon County Council said it was responsible for more bridges than any other authority.

Stuart Hughes, cabinet member for highways management, said: "The term 'substandard' does not mean there is a problem with the bridge. It means we are managing 222 bridges that cannot carry the full 40 tonnes 'standard' highway load.

"Seventy-three of these are historic granite clapper bridges on Dartmoor National Park, which are performing well, and the remainder are either scheduled for strengthening work or have a weight limit."

In their responses to the RAC, councils said they would ideally want to bring 1,955 of the 2,928 reported substandard bridges back up to full carrying capacity.

However, budget constraints meant they anticipated only 292 would be subject to the necessary work within the next five years.