Work on bollard upgrade to Marlow Bridge to start at 9.00pm on Mon 22nd Oct 2018

Demo bollard on display in Marlow during September 2017, to show the size and proportions of the new bollards to be installed on Marlow Bridge.

Starting from 9.00pm on Monday 22 October 2018, Transport for Buckinghamshire (TfB) will be commencing work on the long anticipated bollards upgrade to Marlow Bridge.

The works are likely to take up to three weeks to complete, depending on weather conditions. Work will take place during week nights only with the bridge and road remaining open during the day.

During the night closures TfB will also be taking the opportunity to install new pedestrian crossing refuge islands outside Burger’s, as part of a joint scheme with the Town Council, using Local Area Forum funding.

The old bell-shaped bollards at the approach to the bridge will be removed and new, more robust, bollards will be installed on both approaches to Marlow Bridge. The new bollards are designed to be much more difficult for HGVs to get through. Both approaches to the bridge will be resurfaced as well.

The work will be carried out overnight under a road closure between 9.00pm and 6.00am from Monday to Friday for about three weeks. The bridge will remain open during the day and there will be restrictions in place to protect the bridge when the old bollards have been removed and the new ones not fully installed.

It is anticipated that these sturdier measures will deter and prevent overweight vehicles abusing or ignoring the 3.5t weight limit on the historic Marlow Bridge.

Deputy Leader and Transport Cabinet Member at Buckinghamshire County Council, Mark Shaw, commented: ‘This work has been a long time coming, and I’m glad that after all the investigations and planning that has been going on behind the scenes we are finally able to move ahead. The new bollards have been designed to be less easy to abuse than the old ones, and will offer additional protection to an important historic structure.‘

At the same time, to make full use of the road closure, TfB will begin the first phase of work to install a new crossing point at The Causeway, outside Burger’s, in a joint scheme with the Town Council and Local Area Forum (LAF). This first phase, to install the refuge islands, will be carried out under the same night closures as the bridge works and will take around five nights, depending on the weather. The second phase, to remove the adjacent parking spaces and complete a dropped kerb, will be carried out later in the year.

Marlow’s Mayor, Chris Funnell, enthusiastically welcomed the news that the crossing works are commencing this week, commenting: ‘I’m delighted that after a long campaign to push for this project to get going, the crossing on The Causeway is now finally being started. Safety is our first priority and we need to ensure that everyone, particularly the disabled, young people and the elderly, have a safe way of crossing the road to get to the park. The new refuge will also act as a visual signal to drivers to be vigilant in that area.‘

Mark Shaw added ‘I’m also really pleased that TfB have scheduled the first crossing works for the same time as the bridge works – when teams can share road closures it not only minimises disruption in the town, it saves money. I’m looking forward to seeing the new bollards and the crossing completed; I think they will both be good for the town.‘

Work commences on the bridge bollards from 9.00pm on Monday 22nd October 2018. The crossing works are scheduled to begin on Monday 29th October 2018, weather permitting.