Ludford Bridge repairs must be priority, say Ludlow traders
Thursday 20th January 2011, 2:02PM GMT.
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Traders have called on Shropshire Council to make repairing a key bridge in Ludlow a top priority after its closure hit businesses in the town.
Ludford Bridge over the River Teme in Ludlow is closed to traffic but will also be closed to pedestrians from 9.30am until 3.30pm tomorrow so engineers can carry out investigations before beginning repairs next month.
Rick Hill, assistant manager at Ludlow Homecare, opposite the bridge, said: “All the passing trade is completely gone, it’s very, very quiet down this neck of the woods, everybody is talking about it and everybody is worried about it.
“It certainly has been quieter these last two weeks. People don’t come down this part of Ludlow anymore because you can’t get out.”
Carole Clayton, president of Ludlow Chamber of Trade, said: “We appreciate what Shropshire Council are doing on this, but that work does need to be completed as soon as possible.”
Shropshire Council said today it could not give an exact date for the start of repairs but expected it would be in late February.
The council said because of the type of work and the size of the equipment used, there would not be enough room to keep the bridge open to pedestrians while the drilling took place.
Martin Taylor-Smith, Shropshire Council’s cabinet member for transport and IT, who also represents Ludlow South, said “every reasonable effort” would be made to reopen the bridge to pedestrians as soon as possible.
The bridge was closed earlier this month after chunks of masonry fell from the structure into the river.
It is expected to be closed for up to four months.
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And everyone in the county has to jump and obey the self interests of Ludlow traders….
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Where do you live In cloud cuckoo land ?
What an insult to all those hard working folks
You don’t have to be stupid but it helps ?
I guess you are employed by the Council
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Hope those boys don’t drill to deep and hit the water like what happened with the Sheinton bridge back in 2008!! As the contractors were back filling an undermined pillar with concrete the whole span collapsed into the river!! Lucky no one was hurt or injured.
This is a once in a life time chance to strenghthen Ludford bridge and make it fit for another thousand years of trucking.
At Sheinton they used a pre-cast concrete arch there by preserving the bridge for generations to come. Even the biggest trucks can now reach Cressage.
Those old Ludlow blow-hards who hate trucks and hate progress need to join the rest of us in the 21st century!!
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