Rising river brings temporary halt to Shrewsbury bridge replacement shuttle service
Rising river levels have scuppered a new bridge replacement shuttle service for pedestrians.
The Porthill River Shuttle was launched on Monday to give pedestrians a quicker way to cross the river Severn in Shrewsbury while the Porthill Bridge is refurbished - but the weather had other ideas.
Heavy rain on Monday saw the river rise to such an extent that the service was, temporarily at least, kiboshed on Tuesday.
The organisers tweeted that they will be keeping a close eye on the river and forecasted rain, and the service will be up and running again when suitable to do so.
The Government's flooding service suggests that the river will remain high at Welsh Bridge until at least Wednesday.
In the meantime, pedestrians will have to traipse for an extra 10 minutes longer to cross the nearby Welsh and Kingsland bridges.
The Sabrina Boat and The Boathouse pub teamed up with Shrewsbury BID, with support from Shropshire Council, to introduce the replacement river shuttle.
When operating the service will operate from 8am to 6pm each day, crossing from The Boathouse pub to the jetty in The Quarry, saving pedestrians the lengthy diversion route across the Welsh Bridge.
Porthill Bridge is expected to be closed for three weeks while Shropshire Council carries out maintenance work, and the river shuttle started cost £1 return for adults or £2.50 return for families.
For updates keep an eye on the organisers' social media channels.
For more information, visit originalshrewsbury.com/porthill-shuttle
