Bridge Weight Limit Chaos: UK Motorists Rage
Drivers have been warned of new restrictions on a major bridge, which will be in place for the foreseeable future.
Newport City Council are limiting HGVs to 7.5 tonnes on George Street Bridge to safeguard the Grade II listed landmark.
The restrictions came into effect on August 1, with drivers now urged to follow the rules and diversion route to avoid facing penalties.
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But while the weight limit hopes to help support the bridge structure and prevent further damage, the council has been unable to announce a timeline for the ban, which could cause additional delays to drivers.
NEWPORT CITY COUNCIL
Lorries and buses will have to take a detour due to the prohibition.
According to reports, the bridge is used daily by tens of thousands of vehicles, with a significant proportion of HGVs heading into the city.
The local authority announced: "To ensure the bridge remains accessible to the majority of vehicles, we must lessen the strain on it. Consequently, lorries will be prohibited from crossing it temporarily, pending further assessments."
"While we continue our investigations, we are satisfied that the bridge is safe to use for traffic under the 7.5 tonne weight, so residents and commuters who use the bridge will be unaffected by these restrictions."
But to help drivers, the council has put a diversion route in place which will be via Usk Way, the A48 SDR, and Corporation Road.
GOOGLE MAPS
The bridge was closed to HGVs over 7.5 tonnes on August 1
The council added: "The weight restriction will be in place until such time as we are able to lift it. This will depend on further investigations.
"We will be working with Gwent Police to enforce this weight restriction. We will provide regular updates on our social media channels as and when they are available."
The ban follows existing schemes by National Highways, which is currently performing essential repairs and improvements to the George Street Bridge.
The bridge carries the M5 over the railway line near junction 21 for Weston-super-Mare, with the work "critical for the safety of everyone who uses this busy stretch of road".
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The improvement works include structural concrete repairs, bridge bearing replacement, steel beam re-painting under the bridge, replacing the road surface, waterproofing and replacing the barriers on the bridge.
The agency shared: "We're resurfacing the M5 junction 21 southbound exit slip road. To do this, the southbound exit slip road will be closed overnight Thursday, August 28 and Friday, August 29, between the hours of 8pm and 6am. A signed diversion will be in place for vehicles travelling southbound that need to leave the motorway."
But while the ban hopes to improve the structure of the bridge, residents have been left furious due to vital bus routes now having to follow diversions.
Newport Transport warned that it has now been forced to divert bus route 7 to the following:
From the city centre via Newport Bridge, Chepstow Road, Harrow Road and Corporation Road to resume the normal route from Wharf Road.
Towards the city, they will operate via the normal route to Wharf Road, then via Corporation Road and Newport Bridge.
Bus stops at Emlyn Street, Ebenezer Terrace, Mariners Green and St Paul's Walk will not be served.
GETTY
The new weight restrictions will push thousands of HGVs on detoured routes
Taking to social media, drivers have shared their frustration over the restrictions, with one person sharing: "One lorry at a time, 7.5 tonnes, 50 cars at a time, 75 tonnes? Makes sense."
Someone else shared: "The Southern Distributor Road is heavy with traffic as its the go-to route when the M4 is on its daily status, which involves being at a standstill.
"While good public transport routes would and should ease some congestion, any proposals, let alone implementation for that, remain a long way off.
"The George St bridge status cannot have just been discovered, as I am sure years of inspections would have identified problems."