Low blow: Britain’s ‘most bashed bridge’ is hit for 120th time just days after reopening
The UK’s “most-hit” bridge claimed another vehicular victim this week – despite recently reopening with new warning signs.
An HGV travelling north smashed into the low Stuntney Road railway bridge in Cambridgeshire on Monday afternoon (March 4), causing significant delays in the local area.
The lorry collided with the 2.7-metre-high bridge, flipping onto its side and getting itself wedged underneath the structure.
The bridge, in Ely, is well-known for being underestimated by drivers of high vehicles, having been hit on no less than 120 occasions in the last 10 years.
Cheaper than AA Price Promise^
- Roadside cover from £5.29 a month*
- We get to most breakdowns in 60 mins or less
- Our patrols fix 4/5 breakdowns on the spot
*At least 10% of new customers pay this for single-vehicle Roadside (Basic). ^T&Cs apply.
The bridge had only recently reopened following pedestrian and cyclist access improvement works, that also saw new warning signs installed on its approach.
But drivers of HGVs and other high vehicles are still failing to heed the warnings, causing damage to the bridge and delays on the road and railway while emergency services respond.
A Network Rail spokesperson said: “A lorry struck the bridge at 14.54 today (Monday). There were no injuries but it did cause some damage to the bridge.
“Today’s incident prompted us to reiterate our ‘wise up, size up’ message to drivers of all high vehicles. Drivers need to know the height of their vehicle, not guess. In short: wise up, size up.”
As well as causing delays on the roads, these collisions also mean bad news for the railways, with collisions causing 36 hours of delays for rail passengers in 2018 alone.
And these incidents come at a cost, with railway operators Network Rail spending more than £100,000 in the past five years on repairs to the bridge.
Shortly after the incident, local police tweeted a picture of the HGV wedged underneath the bridge, confirming that the lorry driver faces prosecution.
Copyright Press Association 2019. Motoring News articles do not reflect the RAC's views unless clearly stated.
You might also like
12 ways you could accidentally invalidate your car insurance
How could you invalidate your insurance? To help keep you covered, here’s our guide to the behaviour that could leave you driving without insurance.
A guide to overtaking safely on the road
Overtaking can be daunting for newly qualified drivers – even some established ones – but it’s an important manoeuvre to master safely. Read the guide here.
Everything you need to know about the Blackwall Tunnel
If you’ve listened to traffic reports in London, you’ll have heard of the Blackwall Tunnel. Here’s all you need to know before your next trip. Changes in 2025.
Level crossings - everything you need to know
For some motorists, level crossings are part of day-to-day driving. For everyone else, this guide will give you all the information you need to drive in the UK.
Fixed Penalty Notices: all you need to know
Fixed penalty notices could be issued for a wide range of traffic and motoring offences, including speeding or failing to wear a seatbelt.
Popular in News
1
Car buyers to save thousands as EV grant returns
2
Private parking companies issue a record 14.4m tickets to drivers in a single year
3
Drivers fined £1m from just 36 yellow box junctions in 2024
4
Road deaths on the rise in Great Britain
5
Private parking industry urged to publish ‘full and transparent’ complaints and appeals data
6
Drivers now able to search for new home that comes with EV chargers
7
Leicester’s Sean Kimberlin named as RAC Mobile Mechanic of the Year
8
Number of drivers caught using unroadworthy vehicles jumps by 52% in a year
9
Warning to drivers across the UK over fake parking apps
10