Temporary closure of Swan Bridge, Bibury, for essential safety investigations

The county council recognises the inconvenience this will cause and has worked with its contractors and engineering partners to keep the closure period as short as possible while ensuring the investigations can be completed safely.  

The three-day closure will enable specialist teams to excavate a number of carefully controlled trial holes within and around the bridge structure. These investigations are needed because recent engineering assessments identified that some conclusions about the bridge's condition rely on assumptions about how the bridge was originally built and the materials used in its construction.  

The bridge has been subject to ongoing inspections and monitoring for some time. Alongside this monitoring, the council’s engineering analysis has shown that obtaining direct evidence from the structure is now necessary to provide greater certainty about its condition and inform future decisions about the bridge. 

While current assessments do not indicate an immediate safety concern, the investigations will provide engineers with the information they need to ensure the bridge continues to be managed safely and responsibly. 

During the closure, engineers will dig the trial holes, asses the materials and their condition and gather evidence before reinstating the affected areas. The findings will help confirm the bridge's construction and condition and provide more accurate information than can be achieved through the structural analysis and current monitoring that we’ve undertaken so far. 

The council has been engaging regularly with local stakeholders, including representatives from the Bibury One group, as discussions about the bridge and wider transport issues in the village have progressed. Local representatives, emergency services, transport operators and other key stakeholders are being informed ahead of the closure. 

Cllr Lisa Spivey, Leader of Gloucestershire County Council, said: "We understand this temporary closure will be frustrating for residents, businesses and visitors, and we appreciate the disruption it will cause. However, the safety of everyone using Swan Bridge must come first.

"The bridge has been monitored regularly, and further investigation is now needed to better understand its condition so that we can protect this important historic structure. We have worked hard to keep the closure as short as possible and have continued to engage with local stakeholders, including the Bibury One group, throughout this process. 

"We would like to thank everyone for their patience and understanding while this important work takes place." 

With other planned road closures and traffic management arrangements already taking place in the area, it has been identified an opportunity to undertake this work now and minimise the need for further closures later in the year. If this opportunity is missed, the next realistic window to carry out the investigations would not be until December at the earliest, which is why the notice period is relatively short. 

Signed diversion routes will be in place throughout the closure period and people are advised to allow extra time for their journeys. More information will be available here Bibury Traffic Management Plan | Highways  

Further updates will be provided once the investigation work has been completed.