Ferry bridge over the River Trent now re-open

As recent posts have stated the last year of commuting into Burton from South Derbyshire has been more difficult due to the closure of the Ferry bridge over the River Trent.  The pedestrian Victorian bridge and viaduct over the Trent washlands form a key part of the route into Burton avoiding the busy A444 St Peters Bridge.

The bridge and viaduct were originally built solely for pedestrians and cycling incurred a fine, which I am reliably informed was regularly enforced!  Common sense prevailed in the early 1990's when the bridge was opened to cyclists.  To read more about the bridge and it's history, click here to access the Wikipedia page.

The early morning hue over the Trent once more visible from the Ferry bridge

In recent years the bridge had been showing it's age and some of the original decorative features had been long since removed.  The deck in particular was falling apart.

Significant funding was required to bring about the repairs required to make the bridge structurally sound and further funding was raised by a group called Friends of the Ferry bridge to address the decorative issues.
An article on the Staffordshire County Council website explains in more detail the work done on all aspects of the bridge and show before, during and after pictures.

The improvement to the finish is clear

The deck and new railings are a vast improvement

Click here to read more about how the bridge has been repaired (from Staffordshire County Council website)


It may have been a long time coming but the result was certainly worth waiting for!