In the past 30 years there have been few incidences of bridge collapse in this country. In the past we have had an adequate inspection and maintenance programme. Recently the number of heavy lorries has increased but maintenance funding has not kept pace and there is now a widely held view that the safety factors built into bridge designs are being eroded. The assessment programme has highlighted the vulnerability of our bridge stock and has already shown that approaching 100 of our bridges are "at risk" when carrying normal vehicles. In addition there is a backlog of maintenance work.
The short term effect of the reduction in bridge maintenance is one of neglect but, in the longer term, deterioration will quicken and lead to more costly work, particularly on ancient monuments and other listed structures. Part of the bridge maintenance budget needs to be concentrated on maintenance work to minimise this deterioration and to prevent failure of many of the County's 1700 bridges.
All categories of bridge maintenance, assessment and strengthening are eligible for SCA with the exception of routine maintenance and rural footbridges.