Redbridge Council calls on government to free up £25million of High Speed 2 cash to help fund stricken east London bridge

Redbridge Council has written to the government to seek urgent financial support to reopen a critical transport link in Woodford, east London.

The Council is calling on local people to support their campaign for government funding to repair Broadmead Road Bridge by signing a petition. 

A major section of Broadmead Road in Woodford was closed to traffic in July 2023 due to significant structural defects reported following an inspection of the bridge. The road was closed as soon as the defects were discovered to prevent serious injury.

Essential repairs to the bridge are expected to cost at least £25million, but potentially far more. At the recent Conservative Party Conference, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak formally announced he had cancelled the planned HS2 rail link from Birmingham to Manchester and how the government would invest £36bn saved from HS2 in other transport projects across the country – including several road schemes.

The Leader of Redbridge Council, Cllr Jas Athwal, has written to the Secretary of State for Transport, requesting that urgent funding be made available to help foot the cost of the bridge repair project.

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 it has around £230million less to spend on public services every year. 

As a result, funding projects of this magnitude is not feasible within the Council's budget, so the Council is calling on the Department for Transport to make essential funding available.

The Deputy Leader of Redbridge Council, Cllr Kam Rai, said: "The Prime Minister's recent decision to cancel the northern leg of HS2 means billions are available to help fund local transport projects across the country. We are calling on the Transport Secretary to allocate urgent funding to help cover the enormous cost of this unforeseen capital project.

"Given the funding reduction over the last 13 years, local authorities cannot afford to fund such large-scale and complex civil engineering projects. The government must support us in resolving the bridge defects and reopening this vital transport route.

"Without government help, local people and parents travelling to work and schools in the surrounding area face extensive travel disruption that will severely impact the daily lives of our communities who rely on this vital route. The closure may also affect our emergency services and could even jeopardise the safety of patients being transported to local hospitals.

"We look forward to constructively working with the government to develop a funding package that will allow us to return the bridge to entire operation as early as possible."

Following the bridge closure, the Council commissioned more detailed surveys to establish the extent of the structural issues. These surveys are ongoing.

Sign the petition to save Broadmead Road Bridge.