Bridge Road closed this weekend

Bridge Road in Exeter will be closed to traffic this weekend to allow essential repair works to the concrete of the underside of the Countess Wear Flood Relief Bridge to be carried out.

The closure will be in place from 10pm on Friday 28 October until 5am on Monday 31 October.

The repair runs the across the full width of the structure, and in order for it to be effective traffic must be kept off the bridge while the material hardens.

The contractor will also take the opportunity to carry out other works across the full width of the carriageway during the closure, including laying road surfacing material, installing duct crossings for new and existing service cables and removing barriers.

Councillor Andrew Leadbetter, Devon County Council’s Cabinet Member for Economy, Growth & Cabinet Liason for Exeter, said:

“We appreciate that this weekend long closure is inconvenient, and we have liaised with the contractor to minimise disruption by scheduling this work for the autumn rather than in the run up to Christmas when traffic flows are higher.

“We have also co-ordinated and phased planned work on the rest of Exeter’s road network to minimise disruption as much as possible during this scheme, while still allowing important infrastructure improvements to take place.

“Unfortunately the significant congestion experienced on a few occasions recently has been due to unplanned events, such as safety repairs to a collapsed drain, emergency repairs to an important electricity cable and accidents on the M5 resulting in motorway closures.

“I thank everyone for their patience and understanding while these vital improvements are underway.”

Advanced traffic signing and publicity will enable drivers to plan their journey and allow sufficient time to use alternative routes. Diversion details are available here.

The road will remain open for pedestrians and cyclists during the closure using designated routes through the works. Emergency vehicles will be escorted through the works site.