VILLAGERS are celebrating after the announcement yesterday that Great Missenden's bridge is to be strengthened to take vehicles weighing no more than 17 tonnes meaning Chiltern's picturesque country lanes will not be used by monster juggernauts.

Residents in Great Missenden and Prestwood had feared that Buckinghamshire County Council would completely rebuild the bridge carrying the A4128 over the railway.

This would have meant that lorries weighing up to 40 tonnes would have been able to cross and use the narrow and winding Chilterns roads.

The option would have also seen the bridge close for 35 weeks or 43 weeks if one-way traffic was allowed almost day and night, while repairs were being carried out.

Families were furious at the prospect of the long closure, but even more annoyed by the prospect of juggernauts being able to use their roads. They set up an action group called 25not40 to fight the plans. Members claimed it would cause congestion, poor safety, and dangerous roads.

About 1,000 people voted at a public exhibition to strengthen the bridge to the 25-tonne level, where school buses, dustcarts and ambulances can cross.

The Free Press predicted two months ago that council chiefs would eventually agree with the public's choice. The building work is now expected to take just six weeks to complete, and will be carried out during the school summer holidays.

At a Buckinghamshire County Council meeting yesterday Rodney Royston, cabinet member for roads, said he was minded to go for the 17-tonne limit but people had a six-day period to raise objections.

The public consultation was initially put into force when the county council put just one proposal forward in mid-October to close the bridge and rebuild it.

This caused uproar, not only because of the disruption to village life, but also because rebuilding would have allowed juggernauts onto roads in the Chilterns.

The 1880s-built bridge is owned by Network Rail, which is responsible for maintaining it to a set standard, although the county's required standards are higher.

Railtrack will spend £100,000 and the council will then put in another layer of strengthening costing a further £100,000.

This will give 20 to 40 years' life to the bridge. Railtrack would prefer the bridge to be rebuilt, giving it a 120-year life.

January 24, 2003 10:30