Council reassures public after three road bridges in Barnsley labelled ‘substandard’

The reassurance comes after the motoring research charity, the RAC Foundation, stated that three road bridges in the area were found to be ‘unfit for the heaviest vehicles on the roads’.

The foundation surveyed all 208 local authorities responsible for highways in England, and found that nationally, 2,928 are substandard, meaning they cannot carry the largest 44-tonne lorries allowed on the nation’s roads.

In Barnsley, the three bridges at Oaks Lane, Bradberry Balk Lane and Smithy Bridge Lane deemed ‘substandard’ represent less than one per cent of the borough’s bridges.

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Matt O’Neill, executive director for growth and sustainability at Barnsley Council said that the authority hopes to reduce this to zero .

Mr O’Neill said: “We take maintenance of bridges and structures on our highways very seriously and I would like to reassure our residents that in this context the RAC definition of “substandard” doesn’t mean unsafe.

“The three bridges at Oaks Lane, Bradberry Balk Lane and Smithy Bridge Lane represent less than one per cent of the 236 bridges on our network.

“This is below the national average of four per cent.

“Our ambition is to reduce this to zero and we will complete the works required to these bridges when resources allow.

“In the meantime, safety remains our number one priority, which is why weight restrictions remain in place on each of the bridges to ensure they are safe for everyone who uses them.”