Bridge bans averted
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THERE are likely to be few weight restrictions imposed on in North Yorkshire on account of the 38 tonne lorry.
Instead, any bridges unable to cope with the heavier lorry will be strengthened, North Yorkshire county surveyor Gerald Leech told CM.
Weight restrictions will not solve any problems, he said. When a full assessment of the bridges has been carried out, as ordered by the Department of Transport, the best course of action will be to carry out repair work wherever necessary. Weight restrictions will simply push the problem on to some one else, he said.
The new assessment code published by the DTp is more stringent than Bridgeguard, its predecessor, he said. This may mean more strengthening work is needed.
The DTp will be funding the bridge assessments in every county, through Transport Supplementary Grant. The bill for North Yorkshire alone will be around £125,000 and will mean checking over 1,500 bridges, he said.