Essential works to make Baddington Bridge safe for heavy goods vehicles on the A530 near Nantwich look set to go ahead – but could take up to nine months to complete.
It’s believed the cost of planned structural works could set Cheshire East Council back between £300,000 and £400,000.
The authority had been locked in a six-month long dispute with Historic Railways Estate (HRE) over who is responsible for the bridge since a 7.5 tonne weight restriction was imposed on it in September last year.
The bridge spans the former Nantwich to Market Drayton railway, owned by HRE.
But they said any structural repairs or replacement road bridge is the responsibility of highways authority.
Now the authority says it has completed its “options study” for the bridge, but declined to confirm costs or timescales.
A spokesperson for Cheshire East Council told Nantwich News: “We have now completed an options study looking at ways to address the issues at Baddington Bridge.
“While at this stage it is too early to confirm timescales, a programme is now being developed as part of the design process to this complex scheme.
“Once the programme is completed a further update will be provided.”
Sources say the likely timescale is six to nine months, which means the weight restriction and lengthy diversion for heavy goods vehicles could be in place until 2027.
It’s also believed Cheshire East Council has submitted a bid to the Department of Transport for a potential complete bridge replacement, although Cheshire East declined to comment on this.
Connor Naismith, MP for Crewe and Nantwich, said: “This is a welcome development.
“The weight limit, subsequent diversion and temporary traffic lights on Baddington Bridge has caused serious disruption to my Nantwich constituents, including several businesses in the local area.
“I will continue to work on a cross party basis with Aphra Brandreth MP – in whose constituency Baddington Bridge sits – to press for a cost effective, timely and, importantly, lasting solution for all concerned.”
Aphra Brandreth, MP for Chester South and Eddisbury, added: “I’m glad Cheshire East Council has confirmed this project as a top priority.
“The impact of the weight restriction has been terrible, both for local people in the surrounding villages, who have been dealing with high volumes of traffic on roads that simply aren’t suitable, and for local businesses, which have faced significant additional costs from long diversions.
“I’ve been working closely with the council to look at a range of options, and I’ll continue pushing to make sure we get action as quickly as possible.
“The council has known about this for years, so it’s right that it’s finally getting the attention it deserves.
“I’ll keep working with local councillor Rachel Bailey and others to make sure progress is delivered.”
In a previous statement, HRE (part of National Highways) stated: “Safety is our top priority. We carried out repairs to Baddington Bridge in Spring 2025 to ensure it meets load-bearing standards.
“The local authority is responsible for implementing the weight restriction, which they have done, and for any further strengthening. We have met with the council, offered to transfer ownership of the bridge, and discussions on its future are ongoing.”
A large number of heavy goods vehicles are currently ignoring the weight restrictions, while others are finding shorter diversions through narrow country roads, angering local residents.
We contacted the Department for Transport on Wednesday and are still awaiting a reply.
A further 9 months? It’s already been like this for years, and it’s costing haulage companies thousands of pounds to get round it, especially with today’s fuel costs. It’s a joke that this tiny little bridge is taking longer that the entire HS2 project.
DEMOLISH it why do CEC want to repair it???
I heard there is a preservation order on the bridge? There is no need for a bridge: there’s no road or railway or canal below. All the while, the rebuilding continues, the heavy lorries continue to follow diversions which is causing more damage to secondary country road and disruption to smaller villages.
Why not review how the bridge was replaced over the railway into Crewe at Hough on the Newcastle Road. Or just level it as suggested.
The bottom line is that many of the lorries built now are ridiculously heavy and cause a huge amount of damage to the roads. There needs to be a weight restriction on the size of lorries. Where they used to come along Park Road onto Wellington Road the tarmac was always breaking up and huge lorries passed in front of the schools. Wouldn’t a by pass be preferable?
Stick and tired of this. Lorries go down the small roads at ravensmoore, they go past my house on a very narrow single track lane its not their fault that the council messed up. It makes absolutely no sense to be spending the money we pay in taxes on a replacement bridge that is going to take up to 8 months to complete when surely it would benefit financially to flatten it!? Especially that it has absolutely no purpose as a bridge anymore! Surely flattening the bridge would benefit in shorter timescale and cost and we the residents feel a little more valued but as this is down to the council I highly doubt they even care because once the bridge is complete this time next yesr guaranteed council tax will be on the rise to pay for it and shove a ton of money into their pockets too! Not even for the fact they deserve the income to be quite honest. This has taken far, far too long to get repaired. Now the bridge is becoming dangerously weak. I drive a land rover but I dont even go on the bridge now in fear of collapse. The council shpuld wholeheartedly be held responsible for the delay and the residents should not have to pay for their cockup! 😡
The Nantwich to Market Drayton Railway is never coming back. It closed in 1964!
Just remove the bridge and rubble. Pave a flat bit of road. This should be relatively quick and cheaper than building a needless new bridge.
9 months ???? So they’re only doing the potholes then.
Why don’t they just knock it down
Seems a bit odd to replace a bridge that doesn’t actually go over anything of any importance. The bridge slows the traffic down before it comes into Nantwich, but surely there could be some other way of traffic calming rather than a pointless crossing over a defunct railway line?