Fears have been raised that a pothole-ridden and damaged railway bridge could collapse or cause a fatal accident unless it is urgently repaired.
The Blacksole Bridge in Herne Bay is used by thousands of motorists a day but it has fallen into serious disrepair leaving neighbours frustrated and claiming there has been a lack of action for almost a year.
Crater-like potholes force cars to drive in the middle of the narrow carriageway – which is also on a blind corner – while a persistent water leak continues to seep into the brickwork of the Victorian structure.
The road, which links Altira Park and the A299 to Reculver and the east of the town, was shut earlier this week with South East Water on site to repair a burst water main.
Victor Calleja says he has been lobbying for Kent County Council (KCC) to take action before tragedy strikes.
Mr Calleja first flagged the issue with KCC in May last year but says he was told part of the issue was any roadworks on the bridge require Network Rail approval.
He told KentOnline: “Because the bridge goes over the railway, it’s not just a council issue, it’s the railways as well, but they don’t seem to be talking to one another and nobody’s accepting responsibility for it.
“It’s dangerous when you’ve got two cars coming towards each other in a very restricted space, it’s very tight and you’ve got nowhere to go.
“You can’t swerve to avoid, the only way you can go is to try and go on the wrong side of the road.
“I’ve seen people driving here, it makes my hair stand on end because they come around those bends like there’s no one there.
“It’s deteriorating rapidly, I don’t know if there’s a broken main or whatever, but there’s water everywhere. You can’t even see the potholes anymore.
“With all the freezing weather we’ve been getting, if that water freezes in the actual brickwork, the whole structure is going to go – you’ve got heavy lorries, you’ve got buses, you’ve got articulated lorries, for God’s sake, going over that bridge.”
The bridge guides traffic over London and Thanet-bound train lines, though it was hoped the route would be included in KCC’s ‘Pothole Blitz’.
This failed to materialise, and despite being told repairs would be carried out in the summer action on the bridge and the road surface is yet to be taken.
Mr Calleja has also involved Sir Roger Gale, MP for Herne Bay and Sandwich, who wrote to KCC officials last month demanding the authority do something.
“This clearly is a serious issue and one that needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency,” wrote Sir Roger.
“This sounds to me very much like a serious accident waiting to happen.”
A KCC spokesperson said: “We understand the concerns residents have with the Blacksole Bridge in Herne Bay.
“Previous planned works by the county council to resurface the bridge were suspended due to planned development improvement works in the area, however, crews have been inspecting the bridge weekly to ensure it is safe for road users.
“Unfortunately, there has been a burst water main at this location which South East Water is taking care of.
“This has created more substantial potholes on the surface, therefore, we plan to carry out urgent works to resurface the bridge.
“As the bridge is located over the railway, we will be meeting with Network Rail as soon as possible to discuss arrangements for the works.
“We will update the public as soon as this has been agreed.”
No timelines or dates for prospective repairs have been released.
The emergency water leak works finished on Thursday after residents in the area were left with low water pressure and in some cases were left without any supply to their taps.
A water bottle station was set up at the nearby Sainsbury’s but customers faced lengthy diversions to reach it due to Blacksole Bridge being the main route to the supermarket.
Speaking on Friday morning, Jim MacIntyre, incident manager for South East Water, said: “Our teams worked tirelessly through the night to carry out the repair and we will be returning the road to a safe drivable condition and reopen it as soon as we possibly can.
“In the meantime, we shall continue to monitor the water supply across Herne Bay.
“We understand how frustrating a loss of water supply can be and thank our customers for their patience and understanding while we carried out these repairs.”
Network Rail has been contacted for comment about the bridge and road repairs.
#Concerns #raised #Herne #Bays #Blacksole #Bridge #Kent #County #Council #urged #action
Leave a Reply