Bridges: Repairs and Maintenance

(asked on 15th September 2020) - View Source

Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how much funding they have allocated for bridge repairs in England in (1) this financial year, and (2) the subsequent five years.


Answered by
Baroness Vere of Norbiton Portrait
Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
This question was answered on 23rd September 2020

On the Strategic Road Network (SRN) which is managed by Highways England, there is one structure which has a signed weight restriction, but this applies only to lanes 2 and 3. Lane 1 is unrestricted for vehicles complying with the Construction and Use Regulations. Highways England also has responsibility for most road carrying bridges crossing the SRN. Of these bridges, 84 have been identified as currently having a signed weight restriction. On the local highway network, it is a matter for each local highway authority to assess its bridge stock and the Department does not hold this information.

Between 2015/16 and 2019/20, the Department allocated £4,825 million by formula to local authorities in England, outside London, for the maintenance of their entire local road network, including bridges. Over the same period, the Department also allocated £75.4 million to local authorities through the highways maintenance challenge fund for 20 bridge maintenance projects. In addition, £892.7 million was spent on bridge repairs on the SRN.

The spend in each year is shown in the table below:

£millions

Local Highways Maintenance Block

Highways maintenance Challenge Fund

SRN Bridge Repairs

2015/16

901

32.6

161.6

2016/17

876

142.9

2017/18

876

16.5

202.8

2018/19

1,296

195.4

2019/20

876

26.3

190.0

Total

4,825

75.4

892.7

In 2020/21, the Department is allocating £876 million by formula to local authorities in England, outside London, for the maintenance of their entire local road network including bridges. During 2020/21, the Department has also allocated £31.9 million through the Highways Maintenance Challenge Fund to nine bridge maintenance projects.

Future funding decisions for local highways maintenance, including bridges, will be made as part of the current Spending Review.

There is also a proposed bridge maintenance project for the Tame Valley Viaduct in Birmingham in the local authority Majors scheme pipeline, a £93.5 million scheme. This is subject to full approval and the forecast funding profile is detailed in the table below:

2020/21

2021/22

2022/23

2023/24

2024/25

0.9

16.9

21.3

17.0

15.9

£millions

The planned funding for bridge repairs on the SRN, for the current financial year and the four remaining years of the current Road Investment Strategy period is shown in the table below. Funding levels for 2025/26 will be subject to future Road Investment Strategies.

2020/21

2021/22

2022/23

2023/24

2024/25

Total

171.0

227.0

315.0

351.0

388.0

1,452.0

£millions

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