Campaigners have taken a first step towards securing the future of a historic railway bridge, with hundreds signing a petition against an infilling scheme proposed by National Highways.
The state-owned roads company is responsible for the structure which carries the B1368 over the former Buntingford branch at Braughing in Hertfordshire. The original timber bridge, which opened with the railway in 1863, was replaced by the existing one in 1920.
According to locals, the structure remained in good condition until 2008 when contractors repainted its edge girders without first removing loose rust. As a result, the protective paintwork progressively failed, causing severe corrosion to the supporting beam on its south side. This now has an assessed capacity of zero tonnes, resulting in the road over the bridge being reduced to one lane with traffic-light control.
In May, National Highways told a meeting of its Stakeholder Advisory Forum that it proposed to carry out a ‘vertical infill’ scheme whereby the space beneath the bridge deck would be filled with hundreds of tonnes of foamed concrete. However, it became clear at the meeting that no meaningful consideration had been given to the structure’s heritage value.
The bridge forms part of a group of historic railway assets with the restored and preserved Braughing Station, immediately to the north. It frames a view of the site from a public footpath on its south side.
Ian Ribbons, owner of the station, is the grandson of Horace Ribbons who was appointed stationmaster at Braughing in 1942, remaining in post until the line closed to passengers in 1964. “I’m upset and angry – they haven’t even looked at a repair option”, says Mr Ribbons. “It’s all part of our history and it’s going to be lost.
“They did a botched paint job on the metalwork and it’s gone downhill ever since. They’ve let the bridge decay to a point where they’ve got an excuse to get rid of it.
“I spoke to the engineer and it was obvious that he wasn’t interested in what the site means to the community. Infilling is the easy option; they’ll have less to do in the future. And that’s all that matters to them.”
Stephen Ruff of the Buntingford Railway & Local History Society says: “It’s probably the only complete station in Hertfordshire that has got both platforms and most of the station buildings surviving. And with the bridge as well, it really is a special place.
“You can imagine standing on the platform and peering through the bridge, waiting for the train to come round the corner to pick you up and take you down to Buntingford. I think it would be an act of vandalism to fill it with concrete.”
Led by the society, campaigners are seeking to challenge National Highways’ decision-making and have asked the company to provide details of all the options that were developed to address the capacity issue, together with costings.
A petition launched to demonstrate support for the bridge’s retention was signed by more than 700 people in its first week.
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