Inspection and safety of bridges in the last 3 calendar years (2022, 2023, and 2024)
Case reference FOI2025/00584
Received 21 March 2025
Published 7 May 2025
Request
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I am requesting the following information relating to the inspection and safety of bridges managed by your council over the past three calendar years (2022, 2023, and 2024):
1. The total number of bridges under your council’s ownership or responsibility. For this request, a bridge is defined as any structure designed to carry a road, path, or other route over a physical obstacle such as water, a railway, a road, or a valley, and with a span of 1.5 metres or more.
2. The number of bridge inspections carried out per year (2022–2024), including a breakdown by: - General visual inspections - Principal inspections - Special inspections (e.g. following flood events or accidents)
3. The number of bridges found to be structurally unsafe during inspections in each of the three years.
4. Of those deemed unsafe, how many: - Were closed to traffic or pedestrians - Required immediate repairs - Are still awaiting repair as of the date of this request
5. Any funding received or applied for from central government or other sources specifically to support bridge repair or safety enhancements during this period. Please provide the data in spreadsheet format (e.g. Excel or CSV) where possible.
Response
Under the Freedom of Information Act 2000, I am requesting the following information relating to the inspection and safety of bridges managed by your council over the past three calendar years (2022, 2023, and 2024):
1. The total number of bridges under your council’s ownership or responsibility. For this request, a bridge is defined as any structure designed to carry a road, path, or other route over a physical obstacle such as water, a railway, a road, or a valley, and with a span of 1.5 metres or more.
2. The number of bridge inspections carried out per year (2022–2024), including a breakdown by: - General visual inspections - Principal inspections - Special inspections (e.g. following flood events or accidents)
3. The number of bridges found to be structurally unsafe during inspections in each of the three years.
4. Of those deemed unsafe, how many: - Were closed to traffic or pedestrians - Required immediate repairs - Are still awaiting repair as of the date of this request
5. Any funding received or applied for from central government or other sources specifically to support bridge repair or safety enhancements during this period. Please provide the data in spreadsheet format (e.g. Excel or CSV) where possible.
Answer: Please see the attached FOI2025 00584 Response Spreadsheet.
Documents
This is Herefordshire Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
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