Bridge repairs to cost £2m - or it could close

REPAIRING an historic bridge used by farmers and commuters could cost a cash-strapped Midland council £2 million.

- SAM GREENWAY Local Democracy Reporter

Barston Bridge which runs over the River Blythe

The future of Barston Bridge, which runs over the River Blythe, is being examined by Solihull Council.

The bridge dates back to 1859 and carries Barston Lane over the river to the east of the village of Barston.

The route - which connects the A432 to Knowle Road - is used as a cut-through by around 1,050 vehicles per day across the working week.

It previously had a load capacity of 10 tonnes but now has a limit of just three tonnes and was still "deteriorating", councillors heard.

The authority must decide whether to replace the bridge with a structure capable of "full highway loading at 40 tonnes capacity" or close it to traffic, leaving it accessible to pedestrians and cyclists.

At a council meeting environment boss Cllr Ken Hawkins said: "I have been aware of this for a while, we made the decision to reduce the maximum weight limit a while ago.