The prolonged closure of Broadmead Road Bridge has caused significant disruption for residents and businesses across Chingford and Woodford Green. To make matters worse, the bridge remains closed to vehicles with no confirmed action plan or timeline for reopening. There has been a lack of clarity from Redbridge Council previously which has been frustrating for residents.
I have been campaigning to get this resolved, I wrote to the previous Transport Ministers and have since met the new Ministers, Lilian Greenwood and Simon Lightwood. I was therefore pleased to join residents at Redbridge Council’s public meeting on Broadmead Road Bridge at Sir James Hawkey Hall in June. Finally, residents and local business owners had the opportunity to voice their opinions directly to the Council and hear their response on the delay to reconstruction.
However, in June, it was made clear that the Government have created a fund to help the reconstruction of bridges in need of significant structural support, such as Broadmead road Bridge. The Chancellor of the Exchequer, Rachel Reeves, announced an additional £1 billion investment to enhance and repair transport infrastructure across the country with local authorities invited to bid for a share of this funding.
To ensure Broadmead Road Bridge receives its fair share of funding, I have since written to both Cllr Kam Rai, Leader of Redbridge Council, expressing my support for a strong proposal to secure funding for the vital rebuild of Broadmead Road Bridge and Lilian Greenwood MP, Minister for the Future of Local Roads, to request further detail on the bidding process, so we can move quickly and effectively.
The rebuild of Broadmead Road Bridge, has wide support, not only from resident but from local representatives. I co-signed a letter to the Secretary of State for Transport, Heidi Alexander, with other local MPs, calling for Broadmead Road Bridge to be included in the early allocation of the fund.
This month, I will be submitting my own bid for the complete rebuild of Broadmead Road Bridge to the Department for Transport, asking for it to be included in the fund allocation.
As the Member of Parliament, I will continue to keep pushing to ensure Redbridge Council receives its fair share of this funding so we can get the bridge reopened without delay. This is a crucial travel link for our community, and I’ll continue fighting to see it reopened as soon as possible.
