Councillors in Highbridge have this week raised new concerns about ‘temporary’ repairs to the surface of the town’s Walrow railway bridge.
Somerset Council recently carried out initial work to address the deteriorating road surface following growing safety concerns from motorists and councillors about vehicles grounding as they travel across.
However, at a full council meeting on Monday evening (December 15th), Burnham and Highbridge Town Councillor Lesley Millard said the measures have not resolved the issues.
She says: “This is a very temporary measure to the surface — we need to be clear to Somerset Council that something more permanent needs to be done about it. We must keep on.”
Mayor Mike Facey added that he “completely agrees,” while Cllr Peter Clayton said: “It is a very temporary surface — I grounded my car while going over — the temporary surface repair is not good enough.”
Part of the difficulty is that the ownership of sections of the bridge remains unclear. Cllr Millard cautioned: “Legal issues can get buried with no outcome, so we must be clear that they must find an outcome.”
Town councillors first raised “serious concerns” about the condition of the bridge in September, citing deep dips in the tarmac either side of the top of the bridge that pose a risk to vehicles.
Talks are continuing between Somerset Council and other parties to seek a long-term fix.
