Cumberland Council announces plans to replace Lake District bridge due to 'structural concerns'

There are fears the bridge could collapse under vehicle weight. Credit: Cumberland Council

Cumberland Council has announced plans to replace Buckbarrow Bridge following its closure in August 2023.

Buckbarrow Bridge was closed due to "significant structural concerns" with fears that the bridge would collapse under vehicle weight.

The bridge connects Corney Fell Road to Duddon Bridge and Corney village.

A Cumberland Council statement said: "Following an extensive assessment and options appraisal, it has been concluded that repairing the existing bridge is not feasible.

"Therefore, the preferred course of action is to replace the bridge. A preferred replacement structure has been selected based on factors such as cost, project duration, and environmental impact.

"Further hydrology and scour assessments, to understand how the river flows, its speed and potential scour risk, will be conducted to facilitate the replacement process.

"Regrettably, the demolition of Buckbarrow Bridge is unavoidable. Given the complexity of the task, particularly following the discovery of coal tar in the bridge, additional support structures are necessary.

"As the bridge area is frequented by nesting birds, measures have been taken to ensure their safety, with suitable nesting arrangements factored into the design of the proposed new structure.

"The demolition of the existing structure will be carried out over the next few months."

The new bridge is scheduled to be installed by early summer 2025.

Cumberland Councillor Denise Rollo, Executive Member for Sustainable, Resilient and Connected Places, said: “The council has been actively collaborating with local community and interest groups.

"We fully understand their frustrations regarding the access over Corney Fell Road, but sadly Buckbarrow Bridge has been deemed unsafe, and therefore we will need to replace it.

"Given that the replacement costs are not included within the current three-year programme, I am pleased to have the support from the council’s executive in reallocating funding to allow this scheme to be completed.

“We extend our thanks to the community for their patience and support, while we make this access safe for everyone.”

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