Published 26/09/2026 By William Turtle-Clark

Concerns have been raised that the partial closure of a key bridge in Hereford could remain in place for years while local authorities and Network Rail establish a long-term repair plan.

The Burcott Road bridge, which links College Road in the north of the city with Widemarsh Street and the A49 Edgar Street, spans the main railway line north-east of Hereford station. It has been subject to a partial closure since late spring following the discovery of structural defects on the adjacent footbridge.

Local ward councillor Ben Proctor explained the reason for the traffic restrictions during a meeting of Herefordshire Council's cabinet. He said: "Emergency closure arose from a defect on the adjacent footbridge, necessitating closing half of the vehicle bridge to enable pedestrians to use it. It’s causing very significant disruption to my and neighbouring residents and worsening the congestion in the north part of the city."

Councillor Proctor asked Cabinet Member for Transport, Councillor Philip Price, whether the disruption was likely to last "years rather than months," while also seeking assurances regarding the condition of other local infrastructure.

In response, Councillor Price explained that the structural issues were uncovered following a change in local public realm contractors earlier this year, which allowed for closer inspection underneath the structure. He said: "There were earlier inspections done, but only from the top down where you couldn’t actually see where the damage was occurring. It was only since the public realm contract change this summer that we got an inspection from underneath, where we found the seriousness of it."

While Herefordshire Council owns the footbridge and is exploring potential options to repair it, Network Rail owns the main vehicle bridge structure. Councillor Price noted that Network Rail considers the bridge due for renewal, though no official timetable has been provided.

Addressing potential timelines, he added: "I’m hoping to be able to say to the public that we will have a response for repair and reopening of it sooner rather than later. I can’t put a time scale on that today."

Councillor Price also assured colleagues that future infrastructure inspections across the county will be subject to tighter management oversight to prevent similar unexpected closures.