A grade II listed medieval bridge which had partially crumbled away has been repaired but a councillor is concerned about the continued onslaught of heavy vehicles.
A portion of stonework which crumbled away from Long bridge in Lower Heyford, near Bicester, in March, has been repaired by Oxfordshire County Council.
The bridge will now be closed for resurfacing and drainage works from October 23 to December 1.
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Ian Corkin, county councillor covering Lower Heyford, said: “Following recent conservation work to the bridge, the next step is an extensive rebuild of the road-deck to improve drainage and prevent further damage by water ingress to the listed structure.
“The bridge will be closed from October 23 to December 1, and there will be a pedestrian access across the bridge during this time, via the south footway.”
Ric Fowles, the chair of Lower Heyford and Caulcott Parish Council, still has concerns that the crumbling was caused by frequent HGV crossings on the bridge, and believes further damage could occur if this continues.
He said: “I think on the hole the repairs look decent, I’m not sure everyone will share that view but it certainly looks better to me.
“What I don’t know is whether this is a full fix or simply a sticking plaster approach.
"I’d be surprised, given the weight of the traffic crossing, if these issues don’t arise again in future. There’s certainly no plans to protect the bridge, there’s only been plans to repair it.
“Restricting HGVs from going across it will help maintain the fabric in future. I was stood by the canal the other day and I could literally feel the vibrations of HGVs going across, it can’t be good for any structure.
“I’ve also had two emails over the past couple of weeks from people living on Station Road, saying the volume of HGV traffic has gone up again.
“There are three separate developments going on at the moment which are likely causing the upsurge of HGVs, the Heyford Park development, East west Rail and HS2.”
Long bridge was originally built in 1550 to carry horse and cart, and has been in disrepair for a number of years, with parish councillors and local householders calling for weight restrictions to be applied.
Victoria Prentis has previously called the bridge a much-loved heritage asset and a vital route for those in the Heyfords, Astons and further afield.
Adding that like many people, she uses it regularly and has had long-standing concerns about heavy goods vehicles using the bridge along with the volume of traffic.
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This story was written by Matthew Norman, he joined the team in 2022 as a Facebook community reporter.
Matthew covers Bicester and focuses on finding stories from diverse communities.
Get in touch with him by emailing: Matthew.norman@newsquest.co.uk
Follow him on Twitter: @OxMailMattN1
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