Trucks not wanted on Surrey bridge...
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by David Craik • Hauliers are putting lives at risk by defying the recent imposition of a 7.5-tonne weight limit on a bridge in Walton-onThames, Surrey.
Walton Bridge, which carries the A244, is used by up to 35,000 vehicles a day but is in "a poorly state", according to Surrey County Council.
The bridge was built in the early 1950s as a temporary measure: its weight limit was reduced to 24 tonnes in 1985, 17 tonnes in 1993 and 7.5 tonnes on 25 June this year due to "structural problems", says Pauline Knowles, of the council's transport planning office.
But she warns that trucks over 7.5 tonnes are still using the bridge, especially at night.
Project manager Alan Patterson says most hauliers are observing the limit and the bridge will continue to be safe if the limit is obeyed. "But we appeal to those few who are not observing it to stop," he adds.
Patterson says that if large HGVs continue to cross, further limits will be introduced or the bridge will have to close. "We are hoping to construct a replacement bridge over the Thames," Patterson says, "but we need Government money."
Knowles adds that the police are doing their best to turn heavy trucks away but cannot be at the bridge 24 hours a day.