Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the press release entitled Number of substandard bridges rises, published by the RAC Foundation on 19 January 2018, if he will make an assessment of the implication for his policies of the statement in that release that 3,441 road bridges with spans of more than 1.5 metres are substandard.

The management and maintenance of bridges maintainable at public expense fall under the responsibility of each highway authority as set out in the Highways Act 1980 (as amended). The Department for Transport endorses Well Managed Highway Infrastructure Code of Practice produced by the UK Roads Liaison Group which provides advice and guidance to highway authorities on maintaining their highways, including bridges. This includes advice on investigations and inspections.

Both Highways England and local highway authorities inspection regimes covers all structures, including post tensioned bridges built pre 1992, and takes into account their design, age and likely maintenance needs.

Furthermore, Highways England continues to develop detailed design standards and quality control processes to ensure bridges are designed and constructed to provide safe and comfortable journeys for road users.

The Department for Transport has also introduced a bridge inspector certification scheme. Further details can be found here:

https://www.lantra.co.uk/nhss/bridge-inspectors