Eric Wright Group has commenced preliminary work to replace a 90-year-old bridge which spans the River Soar on the edge of the village of Zouch on the Leicestershire-Nottinghamshire border.

The deteriorating state of the existing bridge, means it needs to be replaced on safety grounds as there is currently an 18-tonne weight restriction in place which prevents its use by HGVs.

Leicestershire County Council has set aside £19.5 million to carry out the work, which will involve the new bridge being built parallel to the existing bridge and then manoeuvred into place on a re-aligned section of the A6006. Specialist contractor Eric Wright Civil Engineering has been appointed to deliver the new bridge.

The existing structure will remain open while the new bridge is built to limit the disruption to motorists and other road users.

Representatives from Leicestershire County Council, specialist contractors Eric Wright Civil Engineering and other stakeholders attended a turf-cutting ceremony on site this week to mark the start of the work.

Councillor Ozzy O'Shea, Leicestershire County Council cabinet member for highways and transport, said: "The A6006 is a key east/west route across the county which provides a vital function, not least for business links to East Midlands Airport and Freeport developments.

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"We’ve spent thousands of pounds on reactive repairs over the years and that’s not sustainable given the condition of the bridge.

"We're working closely with our contractors to ensure that people are kept well informed about the progress of the project and to minimise any disruption to road users."

Diane Bourne, Managing Director of Eric Wright Civil Engineering said: "We are looking forward to starting the works as soon as we are able and delivering this much needed, improved link for the area. Our team has considerable experience in highways and infrastructure improvements, especially the design and installation of bridges and we are really pleased to have been appointed by Leicestershire County Council on this significant project for Leicestershire."

The work has been programmed to restrict road closures to the time periods when main beams are delivered, the re-alignment of the new carriageway to join onto the existing line of the A6006 leading to the new bridge, known as the ‘tie-ins’, takes place, and when diverting essential utilities.

The bridge components will be assembled on the land adjacent to the river and, due to the presence of overhead, high-voltage cables ruling out the use of cranes, will then be guided into place using a jacking system.

The old bridge will then be demolished. with the work currently scheduled to be completed by early 2027.

The council is responsible for around 300 bridges which require continuing maintenance, but none need work on the scale of Zouch any time soon.

The initial phase of work involves the building of ‘cofferdams’ on both sides of the river. These will enable the safe construction of the bridge piers by creating a watertight enclosure built within this particular stretch of the Soar to allow water to be pumped out or drained to create a dry and safe working environment.

The work will then be temporarily suspended from the autumn until the following spring in order to eliminate the risks of working in a flood plain during the winter months, and to meet Environment Agency 'in-river' working restrictions intended to protect spawning sites.