Bridge checks
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FEARS that bridges in Cheshire may need strengthening to cope with 38-tonne lorries, were expressed at a meeting of Cheshire County Council's highways sub-committee. Rigorous checks could not be completed for six years on 200 of the county's 456 pre-1922 bridges being investigated, the committee was told.
CIIr John Collins thought it might be necessary to impose a weight limit on some bridges until they were assessed, but CIIr Ken Maynard called this a picture of "gloom and doom". Officers, he added, had a fair idea of which bridges would require strengthening.
"Our checks can predict a pattern of cracking before a bridge actually collapses," said highways official Michael Cal-lery. The committee decided to take on eight extra staff to cope with the increased workload.