§ Mr. BurnsTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport when he expects work to commence on repairing the Widford Bridge, Chelmsford; and how long he expects the work will take to complete. [132930]
§ Dr. HowellsWidford Bridge is owned by Network Rail and is included in their national load carrying assessment programme. A draft assessment report on the bridge is being prepared by W. S. Atkins on behalf of Essex County Council as part of a Joint Venture Agreement with Network Rail and this is expected to be delivered to Network Rail's consultant by the end of November 2003. If the report concludes that the bridge is weak, a weight restriction would be imposed as an interim measure.