Frequently asked questions

The bridge has been closed since July 2023 because of safety concerns following a visual inspection which identified cracks, falling concrete and concrete corrosion on the legs, spans and underside of the bridge. The Council took immediate action to close the bridge to all vehicular traffic in view of the risk of falling concrete onto the live Central Line running underneath and concerns about the structural integrity of the bridge.

To reopen Broadmead Road will require extensive construction work and is expected to take a significant amount of time. We apologise for the inconvenience the bridge closure is causing and thank users and local residents for your continued patience and understanding.

On Thursday 13 July Redbridge Council undertook a structural survey of Broadmead Road. The survey outcome recommended immediate part closure of the road pending further assessment.

Following guidance from the structural engineering team, Broadmead Road was closed between Charteris Road and St Barnabas Road.

The Council has undertaken a General Inspection and subsequent up-close inspections to determine the condition of the bridge, the spans and the legs of the structure.

The Council is organising a hammer tap survey to identify areas of weaknesses within the concrete structure to the spans and legs of the bridge. This will give the structural engineers a better understanding of the magnitude of the problem.

Alongside the hammer tap survey, the Council has instructed engineers to undertake a Principal Inspection. This is a detailed survey of the bridge and its spans to give a complete structural condition picture of the bridge.

The Council has instructed concrete scanning and testing to be undertaken so the engineers can better understand the make-up of the bridge and accurately calculate the structural loads the bridge can take and any temporary or remedial measures that can be completed soon.

The inspections have shown the defects to be extensive and have confirmed the bridge is not safe for vehicles to cross.

The engineers must adhere to working restrictions, only working for a few hours every night when the Central Line is closed.  

The official diversionary route remains via the A406 to Chigwell Road or High Road, Woodford. We are monitoring roadworks in the area on the Redbridge network and reviewing future roadworks planned by utility companies to reduce the duration and impact of these works. The bridge is open for pedestrian use, and we are considering extending this to allow cyclists and motorbike use.

The Central Line is safe to use, and the full closure of the bridge has reduced the residual stress load the bridge carries daily.

The Council is looking at the forward plans of utilities and its own works and trying to adjust plans so any roadworks can be delayed or adjusted to reduce disruption.

Unfortunately this is not possible. There are some circumstances where utilities and the Council need to carry out emergency works to repair infrastructure, such as leaking gas pipes, water mains or other essential services that residents need.

We are liaising with Transport for London to agree potential solutions to issues with local bus routes.

Essential repairs to the bridge are expected to cost over £25million and potentially significantly more. This is beyond the scope of the Council budget and we have written to the Government to seek urgent financial support to reopen this critical transport link.

Having lost around 63% of government funding since 2010, councils across the country are in an incredibly difficult financial position. In Redbridge the impact of government funding cuts and extra demand means we have around £230million less to spend on public services every year. As a result funding projects of this magnitude is not feasible within our budget and so it is vital funding be provided through the Department for Transport.

We have written to the Government to seek urgent financial support to reopen this critical transport link.

Funding this project locally would involve significant borrowing without a plan to repay debt through additional income, this could mean extensive cuts to vital services.

A Principal Inspection took place in the 2010/11 financial year. A General Inspection occurred in the financial years 2011/2022, 2013/2014 and 2017/2018.

A Principal Inspection requires closely examining all inspectable parts of the bridge within touching distance. The in-depth survey includes visual inspections and specialist techniques such as hammer tap surveys of concrete or corrosion measurement.

The Council approached Transport for London as soon as the bridge was closed to inform them about the bridge and request an adjustment to the traffic signal timings to accommodate the bridge closure.

All signals that direct traffic over and from the bridge have been given the absolute minimal green signal timings the system can allow. The green signal phase has been removed for the westbound traffic from the bridge towards Woodford.

RideLondon organisers, London Marathon Events, are aware of the bridge closure and will revise the planned route to avoid the affected area of Broadmead Road.

The bridge is open for pedestrian use, and we are considering extending this to allow cyclists and motorbike use.

We have delivered letters to around 8,000 households and to local schools, we have also shared information on the bridge closure on social media and on the Council website.