Staffordshire submits £40m Alrewas bridge bid

Staffordshire County Council has asked the government for £40m to replace a historic bridge and restore a major road link between Rugeley and Tamworth.

The Grade Two-listed Chetwynd Bridge near Alrewas carries the A513 over the River Tame, but has been subject to weight restrictions since a 2019 safety inspection found that several parapets on the 200-year-old structure had deteriorated more quickly than anticipated.

Now, the local authority is poised to rubber-stamp new funding plans which would could see a replacement built before 2030, after planning consent was granted earlier this year.

A report set to go before cabinet on 21 October will seek endorsement for a £40m bid to the Department for Transport for the scheme, which is estimated to cost £46m in total.

The remaining £6m will come from the council’s Integrated Transport Fund.

While councillors are expected to approve the request this week, the scheme remains dependent upon land acquisitions, which the report says are now “well advanced”.

“Whilst negotiations are progressing positively and discussions are well advanced; completion has not yet occurred,” the report said.

“Some land purchase was completed in 2025 through officer delegated decision. The remaining titles are the subject of ongoing acquisition negotiations and completion has not yet occurred.”

Designed by Joseph Potter in 1824, the Chetwynd Bridge was cast by the Coalbrookdale Company in Shropshire, who had become known for constructing the eponymous Iron Bridge spanning the River Severn in 1871.

Traffic lights and concrete blocks were introduced at the bridge in January 2019, after a safety inspection found “reduced integrity and stability” in the original bridge parapets, which had been monitored for deterioration for some years previously.

Further inspections carried out during refurbishment works in 2022 noted that deck movement was “directly loading” the cast iron arch structure, leading to progressive damage of the bridge, according to a planning statement put forward in 2024.

“Chetwynd Bridge is an important route and a nationally significant heritage asset, so it is vital we take the right long-term approach,” said Cllr Peter Mason, cabinet member for strategic highways.

“Our bid to Government would help us deliver a new bypass structure, keep this key route open, support the local economy and protect the existing Grade Two listed bridge for pedestrians and future generations.

“If funding is secured, we will be ready to move ahead, with planning consent already in place and detailed work well advanced.”