Platt Mill Bridge to reopen

Platt Mill Bridge, which carries the B4397 Baschurch to Ruyton-XI-Towns road over the River Perry, will reopen to traffic at lunchtime on Saturday 27 August 2011.

The bridge closed on 13 August 2011 for essential repair work on the north-western wing wall, which was found to be leaning heavily in January this year.

The remaining work will now be carried out under traffic light control, with all repairs expected to be finished by mid-September.

During the closure period, Shropshire Council contractors worked 12-hour days, seven days a week, to get the bridge open as quickly as possible.

Councillor Simon Jones, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for transport, said:

“The closure period was carefully chosen to avoid impacting on school traffic and the summer harvest season.  Although we appreciate the work inevitably caused some inconvenience, our contractors worked incredibly hard to ensure the closure lasted for no longer than was absolutely necessary.”

Aggie Caesar-Homden, Shropshire Councillor for Ruyton and Baschurch, said:

“The contractors have worked extremely well to have this part of the work finished so quickly and I would like to thank them for their hard work throughout this project, which is essential to make Platt Mill Bridge safe for the future.

“Local businesses and residents have been extremely patient and understanding during this period of inevitable inconvenience.  With the bridge reopening to traffic from Saturday afternoon, one week ahead of schedule, I think Shropshire Council and the contractors have done a magnificent job.”