More than £11m could be spent to revamp a bridge at the centre of a long-running saga over how best to cut the expensive costs to maintain it.
And if Norfolk County Council's bid for £10m for the refurbishment of Carrow Bridge in Norwich is successful, it could see more than a year of work on the structure, which is more than 100 years old.
Council officials have long wanted to make major changes to the bridge, closed to Norwich City Football Club's Carrow Road ground, because the authority regularly has to spend tens of thousands of pounds and close the road for temporary repairs, most recently last month.
In 2021, the council's then Conservative-controlled cabinet agreed to spend £150,000 to weld the bridge, which lifts to allow vessels to pass on the River Wensum beneath it, into place.
The thinking was the move would cut maintenance costs, because deck panels regularly have to be fixed as they are shaken loose by traffic.
But that plan was blocked by the Broads Authority, which said it would be "totally unacceptable" to weld the bridge shut.
The organisation said the Norwich Corporation Act 1920 states the bridge must be able to open to allow vessels to get to the port of Norwich, so the welding plan was put on ice.
However, the county council, now led by Reform, hopes a bid to the Department for Transport's Structures Fund will finally secure the money to revamp the bridge, while allowing it to still open to river traffic.
If officials approve the money, then it would see the deck removed and replaced, the mechanical bridge deck movement joints replaced, waterproofing and the refurbishment or strengthening of structural elements where required.
The bridge carries up to 30,000 vehicles per day and is also important for pedestrian movements, particularly on Norwich City Football Club match days, where up to 9,000 pedestrians cross the bridge.
Tom Dickerson, Reform's cabinet member for highways and transport, said the Structures Fund was "heavily oversubscribed", but hoped the council's application would succeed.
He said: "If we do, it will take away a maintenance headache away from Norfolk County Council."
"This bridge has served as a vital link for the city centre, the railway station and to get out on to the A47."
"If we get this money from the DfT, we will be able to resurface the deck, repair all the mechanical mechanisms as well."
If the bid does succeed and the work on the bridge happens, then construction is likely to take more than a year and could include closures and access restrictions, although officers said they would keep disruption to a minimum.
A council report states: "Construction is anticipated to commence in autumn 2028, with main works from January 2029."
"Construction completion is targeted for December 31, 2029, allowing time for testing, commissioning, handover and funding close-out by March 31, 2030."
History of Carrow Bridge
The current Carrow Bridge was opened in 1923 by the Prince of Wales, the future King Edward VIII.
Construction on the bridge had begun in 1920, through the unemployed relief work scheme, which was set up in the aftermath of the First World War.
The current bridge replaced one which was a few hundred feet further downstream, which linked Carrow Hill to the north-eastern end of Carrow Road.
That iron bascule bridge had been built in 1833, replacing one - probably made of wood - which had been constructed in 1810.
Share