NETWORK Rail has said there is no need to replace the aging Wolvercote railway bridge, as long as it remains single-laned.

Residents of Lower Wolvercote had feared they would be cut off, with delivery lorries, dustcarts and buses unable to cross the bridge into the village after County Hall axed £3.6 million of funding towards replacing it.

Beams supporting Network Rail’s Goose Green bridge in Godstow Road are deteriorating and Oxfordshire County Council had planned to part-fund a bridge capable of carrying lorries of all sizes.

But after a major review of council spending, aimed at saving £119m over four years, it axed its contribution.

Village residents feared cheaper strengthening work paid for by Network Rail alone would leave it only able to take vehicles weighing less than 18 tonnes.

traffic has been reduced to a single lane on the bridge, to make sure vehicles only pass over the stable struts – one way at a time.

At a public meeting last week, the councillor responsible for roads, Rodney Rose, pledged he would press Network Rail for more expensive work to strengthen the bridge so it could carry one-way traffic of at least 26 tonnes.

He said: “The county council would contribute to the scheme so long as the request was sensible. My thinking on that is to put something in for design fees.

“The Network Rail standard across the country is to carry 18 tonnes on a two-way bridge. A bridge that could carry 26 tonnes one-way in theory should be cheaper.”

Network Rail spokesman Russell Spink told the Oxford Mail maintenance work to strengthen the bridge would take place this financial year.

He added: “From the conversations we have had with the council, the lane restrictions will remain in place for the foreseeable future.

“As long as there is a one-way restriction in place, the weight issue should not have any impact on everyday life, because lorries, buses and dustcarts will still be able to cross the bridge.”

Mr Rose told villagers he had sent a dustbin lorry along the back roads through Wytham to prove the alternative route could be used to service Lower Wolvercote.

He added: “As long as the situation stays as it is, we will not have a problem.

“The safety of the bridge is in Network Rail’s hands.

County councillor Jean Fooks said: “The 26-tonne limit is the magic number for us and it will allow refuse vehicles over the bridge.

“I’m reassured that is what the council will be pressing for. It is really not on for people of Wytham to have extra traffic on their roads because the bridge cannot take it.”