We have received numerous reports of the hazardous state of a bridge that takes the Yare Valley Walk across a small brook immediately upstream of the Cringleford Flyover. The hazard has been reported to the City Council and it is looking into what might be done. It seems likely that the bridge is not safe to cross at present because of the possibility of other timbers giving way, and so the link between Cringleford Meadow and UEA has, in effect, been broken.
Photo: Rachel Hore
Updates on Progress:
Matthew Davies of the Norwich Fringe Project has asked the property services team at Norwich City Council to price up the cost of replacing the middle rotten beam with a metal one and replacing the wooden decking boards with plastic. The Norwich Fringe Project had already had to do some remedial work to the decking boards, covering them, temporarily, with plywood.
The Yare Valley Society is posting warning notices about the bridge at the Cringleford Meadow car park and at the Strawberry Field with directions for alternative routes.
Alterative Routes are:
From Cringleford Meadow car park go up Eaton Street to the cross roads and turn left along Bluebell Road, continue past McCarthy Stone development, and then cut down across Strawberry Field on your left to the river. Or instead, at the broken bridge turn right on to the path alongside the flyover and then turn left on reaching Bluebell Road to reach the Strawberry Field.
From Strawberry Field head up to Bluebell Road and turn right towards Eaton Village then
turn right onto Eaton Street and the Cringleford Meadow car park is just
beyond Waitrose on the right.
Bridge now given a temporary repair, see above News item.