New safety measures now in place at Belvidere Bridge in Shrewsbury

The barriers and new priority system in place at Belvidere Bridge

Trial measures to improve road safety and encourage social distancing were installed on the Belvidere Road Bridge in Shrewsbury on Wednesday (18 November 2020).

Barriers have been installed to reduce the road to a single lane on the bridge, and to enable pedestrians – especially children attending Belvidere School – to socially distance.

A new priority system has also been put in place for vehicles crossing the bridge and will be used to inform a permanent solution for improving pedestrian safety on the bridge.

Part of the proposed traffic management works at the bridge, the work has been funded through developer Section 106 contributions related to the nearby Weir Hill housing development

A review of the new layout will be carried out shortly to determine if any changes need to be made.

Steve Davenport, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for highways and transport, said:

“I’m very pleased that the new barriers and priority system are now in place on Belvidere Bridge. This trial will enable us to introduce social distancing measures whilst trailing the traffic management arrangement and I’m confident that these new measures will help to improve safety for road users and pedestrians when crossing the bridge.”

Pam Moseley, Shropshire Councillor for Monkmoor, said:

“The recent temporary measures will help social distancing on this narrow bridge at this difficult time, and I look forward to a long awaited permanent solution to the traffic problems here, which is to be funded by the developers of the Weir Hill housing development.”