Major repair scheme for Harrington Bridge over the River Trent

Credit: DCC

Major structural repairs to Harrington Bridge which crosses the River Trent at Sawley will start in August, as part of Derbyshire County Council’s £70 million capital programme, which is delivering safer, stronger and more resilient highways and infrastructure across the county.

The county council is investing £760,000 this year as part of the final phase of a £1.4 million project to refurbish the 116-year-old bridge, which carries the B6540 Tamworth Road over the River Trent.

Work runs from on Monday 3rd August until Friday 27th November 2026, with the road remaining open to vehicles throughout most of the scheme. Some temporary lane closures and three overnight weekend closures for motorised traffic will be required later on in the programme. Pedestrian access will remain at all times.

Improvements include:

• Repainting all steel work below the water line and replacement of heavily corroded steel on the bridge’s piers
• Replacing expansion joints buried in the surface of the road
• Resurfacing sections of the road and pavements as part of ‘fence to fence’ working to make road closures efficient, tackling a number of maintenance jobs while our team are on site.

Derbyshire County Council’s Cabinet Member for Highways, Councillor Charlotte Hill said: “We understand how important the Harrington bridge is to the local community for residents, businesses and visitors, and we’re committed to protecting the bridge and maintaining it to keep it resilient and safe for years to come.

“These crucial works are part of our wider £70 million capital programme, which is enabling us to deliver safer, stronger and more resilient bridges, roads and infrastructure across Derbyshire.

“I’d like to thank local people for their patience in advance, whilst these important repairs are completed.”

There will be temporary two-way traffic lights in operation 24/7 from Monday 12th October until Friday 13th November. These will be manually controlled between 7am to 7pm, Monday to Saturday to reduce delays.

In addition, three overnight closures are planned from 8pm until 9am on the following dates and will also affect the bus services Trentbarton service 15, Skylink Nottingham and the Number 7 Soar Valley Community Bus:

• Saturday 24th October – Sunday 25th October
• Saturday 7th November – Sunday 8th November
• Saturday 14th November – Sunday 15th November

A signed diversion route will be in place via Tamworth Road, Wilne Road, Sawley Road, the A6005, A5111, A6, the A50 Junction 1 roundabout and the B6540.

Dates may change at the last minute due to weather conditions or issues on site.

In 2023, the upper part of the bridge’s steel structure was repainted and corroded steel was replaced to safeguard its future.

Full details on closures, and the diversion can be found on One Network.