Motoring & Transport, Purbeck, Wareham | Posted on April 3rd, 2025 | return to news
Victorian bridge repairs require five-day road closure in Purbeck
The road connecting Wareham and Kimmeridge in the Isle of Purbeck will be closed for five days from Monday 7 April.
A section of road connecting Wareham and Kimmeridge in the Isle of Purbeck will be closed for five days from Monday 7 April while a Victorian railway bridge carrying part of Swanage Railway is repaired.
The cost of the repairs to the brick and iron bridge over Grange Road, located between Stoborough Heath and Creech Bottom, is estimated at £90,000.
The historic bridge was built in 1884 and carried its first passenger train with the opening of the branch line from Wareham to Corfe Castle and Swanage in May 1885. But the bridge was damaged when it was struck by a vehicle in August 2024, with the incident being reported to Dorset Police.
Dorset Council’s highway authority have approved the road closure and a diversion will be in place. Traffic heading south will be diverted via the Stoborough end of Wareham bypass, Corfe Castle, Church Knowle and Steeple, while traffic heading north will be sent via Steeple, Church Knowle, Corfe Castle and the Stoborough end of the Wareham bypass.
Volunteer Swanage Railway Company Chair Gavin Johns said: “We would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused to road users and thank them for their patience which is very much appreciated while we carry out the repairs to the Grange Road bridge.
“The bridge repair work has been scheduled so the week-long road closure takes place during the second week of April, and not during the Easter period at the end of April, to minimise any inconvenience.
“Arranging and scheduling the repairs to the Grange Road bridge has been detailed and protracted because of the need to liaise with insurance companies, bridge experts and contractors after the bridge was struck by a vehicle.
The damage has meant Swanage Railway trains have been unable to run over the Grange Road bridge to the River Frome – the River Frome being half a mile short of the Worgret Junction with the London to Weymouth main line – since August 2024.
It is expected the repairs will be complete by the end of April, enabling Swanage Railway engineering trains, special event trains, and trains running on to the Swanage Railway from the main line at Worgret Junction to cross the bridge once again.
Swanage Railway will apply to the council for another road closure in the autumn so the bridge’s metal girders and handrails can be cleaned and repainted.
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