COOKHAM BRIDGE DIARY
The aim of this diary is to follow the progress of the refurbishment of Cookham Bridge 16 October 2023 -??
RBWM COOKHAM BRIDGE UPDATES (click to view)
FEBRUARY 2024
11 NOVEMBER 2023 (with thanks to Adam Garrett for the following photos and videos)
Are they actually working at least 5 days a week or is the usual 3 days and then just look like they are working?
ReplyDeleteThink what you like about my old local givt MP last year, for Welwyn Hatfield in Herts, but Grant Shapps would have been all over this. He would be meeting and writing every other week to get this safely finished. Do we have an MP of influence?
ReplyDeleteNo
DeleteThe lack of buses in Cookham is not only having a negative impact on those reliant on use of a bus service, but also the outlying areas such as furze platt. People are having to walk some distance for the stop for an alternative bus route which is no mean feat if the person has any functional difficulties. To add to things the road works causing hold ups is quite frankly dealing a death knell on any small business dependent on local access availability
ReplyDeleteThe closure of the bridge and the roadworks in Furze platt have caused a great deal of stress to the people who rely on the buses for transport .especially to the elderly and those that have mobility problems.Obviously there was no thought that doing both these things at the same time would cause major disruption.Plus it is causing problems for local businesses who rely on Christmas for increase in their income .
ReplyDeleteThat’s an absolute disgrace is Theresa May the MP .ask her to get on with pushing for work to be done
ReplyDeleteIt is not just inconvenient for Cookham but for businesses in Bourne End as well - the Garden Centre and the Local Shops there as well - I used to use the Bridge every Monday and Friday and generally stop off in Bourne End now I must use the long way round thus putting more miles on my care and increased fuel usage and they want us to shorten journeys!! Theresa May should be acting on this - my understanding was they would be working 7 days a week!! With a two week gap over Christmas and New Year!!
ReplyDeleteI have contacted Theresa May MP, about the problems
ReplyDeleteIs there somewhere to park Bourne End side so we can walk across the bridge?
ReplyDeleteYes just park on the road before the bridge.
DeleteWhat bothers me, on top of the issues already discussed, is the extremely poor planning for alternative road routes, there have been road closures, painfully slow traffic lights at unmanned roadwork sites, 3-way traffic light systems on main routes and not mention that the A404 at Bisham roundabout can barely cope at the best of times, but it now seems to be crippled at rush hour for no apparent reason on a daily basis, amongst all this disruption to local businesses you have regular folk trying to take their children to school and get to work on time, so immensely stressful and frustrating.
ReplyDeleteIs anyone in charge? Everything seems to be managed by amateurs!
I think it is important to mention a couple of things. I spoke to the engineers at a meeting they set up in Cookham before the bridge closure. Critical to understand is that the bridge bearings have failed. There are four bearings, two at each end of the bridge. The bearings are the points where the bridge itself sits on the bridge abutments that are at either end of the bridge. Bridge bearings are supposed to allow a certain amount of movement (e.g. for expansion of the bridge, and vibration from vehicles) but these have now failed and must be replaced.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, replacing these four bearings is a non-trivial task. The steelwork under the bridge at each end of the bridge span need to be cleaned. The steel needs to be significantly strengthened. The bridge then need to be lifted slightly at both ends to enable removal of the old bearings. New bearings then need to be installed so the bridge can be lowered. The bridge was not designed to be lifted, so this also needs significant preparation work to allow jacks to be inserted under the bridge to enable its lifting.
Finally, the vast majority of the work is taking place out of sight, underneath the bridge, at both ends. The public can not see any of this happening. There is no public access at all on the the Bourne End side of the bridge. This work is well screened off at the Cookham side of the bridge, with the footpath also being closed at that point. Whenever I have walked over the bridge recently, it is very clear that significant work in these areas is taking place.
I do not dispute the need for the bridge repair and subsequent closure to enable said repairs, I do disagree with the seemingly total lack of foresight regarding the impact of the closure from the local authorities. No consideration has been made for interim travel arrangements or temporary lifting of parking restrictions for those who have the convenience of car use. The short sighted view on how the bridge closure would collide with planned road works is simply ridiculous
DeleteI overheard an engineer chatting to another saying that the whole bridge really needs to be replaced. That makes me question the lifespan of these current works.
DeleteTheresa May is pushing the current RBWM council 'to ensure that all necessary work on the Cookham Bridge is completed promptly to ensure disruption for businesses is as minimal as possible'
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DeleteJust typical of this country’s government & councils, waste time & money causing as much disruption to local businesses & residents as possible.
ReplyDeleteLittle consideration has been given to the disruption and inconvenience to Cookham residents who have to use public transport. No extra buses, and the previous suggestion to increase the train frequency from Maidenhead to Bourne End from one per hour to two per hour was ignored.
ReplyDeleteIf you were thinking of getting a taxi from Cookham to Bourne End, check the route and rates before your journey. It is at least 12 miles via Marlow, more via Maidenhead and Taplow, I was charged £25 (in daytime). The train (if not cancelled or on strike) costs £3.60 and takes less than 5 minutes each way.
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