Oxfordshire County Council has acknowledged that bridge examinations have been running behind their intended timetable, with a reported accumulation of overdue checks and a sudden closure leaving uncertainty about reopening.
This follows an internal council audit which found that bridges have not received adequate oversight, with a persistent and long-standing shortfall in required examinations.
The situation comes after Cottesmore footbridge was shut down due to structural safety concerns on Friday 15 May.
In response to the audit findings, a council representative outlined what they described as a nationwide challenge of declining infrastructure, specifically pointing to a broader issue affecting concrete structures constructed during the 1960s that were designed without sufficient consideration for component replacement and have suffered from insufficient upkeep.
According to the representative, council officers have made significant efforts in recent years to enhance bridge management practices, tackling problems identified during the audit process.
General examinations should return to their scheduled timeline later this year after falling approximately one to two months behind the mandated two-year inspection cycle.
The council has now implemented an appropriate asset management system, which allows for improved precision in the data inspectors possess regarding issues such as potentially vulnerable components.
The authority declined to comment on whether the inspection backlog had contributed to the unexpected closure of Cottesmore bridge, though it noted the crossing had been under assessment for several years.
The council acknowledged that it focuses its limited resources primarily on vehicle-carrying bridges.
This follows concerns raised by city councillor Ed Turner from the Labour party, who stated that while closure is necessary when a bridge poses safety risks, the sudden transition from being deemed safe to being shut down is worrying, particularly given that questions had been raised just months earlier.
He further commented that prompt assurance is needed regarding either the reopening or replacement of the structure at the earliest opportunity.
A council representative explained that once a risk assessment conducted in April concluded the structure had become unsafe, the decision was made to close it. Inspectors examined possibilities for keeping the bridge accessible, but these alternatives were deemed unworkable.
The representative added that all available options for restoring this important connection in the city’s active travel network must be evaluated, for the benefit of local residents and those travelling from further away.
However, no timeframe or funding specifics can currently be provided.
The council expressed regret that closing the footbridge was the sole viable option to ensure safety for all those using the bridge and the ring road below.
This is not the only bridge in the county experiencing structural difficulties.
Donnington Bridge continues to be inaccessible to buses while a council-appointed contractor assesses whether strengthening work or complete replacement might be necessary.
A county council representative indicated that the planned approach hinges on the results of site investigations and feasibility assessments, with a determination expected later in the year.