Broughton Bridge to reopen on Monday
Last updated at 22:19, Thursday, 11 March 2010
BROUGHTON Bridge will reopen on Monday in a move that businesses hope will bring trade back to the village.
Cumbria County Council has confirmed that the bridge will initially reopen only to traffic travelling towards the village from the A66 to avoid congestion.
It comes as the council prepares to fully reopen Gote and Cocker bridges and Main Street in Cockermouth on March 24.
Broughton Stores and Post Office owner Carol Comloquoy-Spence said she hoped the move would bring some normality back to Great and Little Broughton.
“It’s good news for the village,” she said.
“We need it up and running so we can get about more easily. It’s been a long way round since the floods.
“Trade has definitely been slow since the floods and we have lost our passing trade because customers from the outlying villages have been having to go the long way round.
“It’s been a long trek since November and this is one more step towards normality for West Cumbria.”
Danny Burrough, landlord of The Brewery House, said: “The whole infrastructure needs to be back in place but this is a small step in the right direction.
“”We’ve been isolated long enough. I think it we’d been anywhere else in the country we’d have had a bridge back very quickly.
“My trade has suffered but this should help it.”
Repairs are continuing at Ouse Bridge, Bassenthwaite, with plans to reopen it at the end of the month and Isel Bridge in Cockermouth remains closed for traffic management reasons.
Designs are still being worked on for replacement bridges at Low Lorton and Little Braithwaite, along with a repairs schedule for Scarness Bridge.
A county council spokesman said: “The traffic situation in West Cumbria should improve substantially over the next few weeks.
“We appreciate people have faced four months of inconvenience following the floods and understand their frustration, but the reopening of these bridges should go a long way to easing this disruption.
“Repairing damaged roads and bridges has been a priority for the county council and will continue to be so until all the bridges are open again.”
First published at 19:27, Thursday, 11 March 2010
Published by http://www.timesandstar.co.uk
Can't believe the comment of Anon. How selfish! Somebody commented today that I won't be able to drive to Seaton from Broughton Bridge and that I will have to rejoin the Dovenby road. I have read the traffic regulation order in the newspaper but I can't understand it!
View all 5 comments on this article
Have your say
To Mike and others not understanding the road layout through Broughton. There is one route through the village which leads from Broughton Bridge at the A66 along to the A594 west of Dovenby. All other routes are one way only inbound towards the village to avoid drivers using minor roads as rat runs to the villages of Broughton Moor, Seaton and Camerton. I stood and watched yesterday as several cars ignored the no-entry sign at South Terrace and carried on up towards Broughton Moor. I am sure they didnt know which way they were supposed to go so chose the easiest route even though it took them the wrong way along a one way road.
Posted by John on 16 March 2010 at 13:39