Redbridge Causeway: A35 footway to remain shut for longer
PEDESTRIAN access over Redbridge Causeway is set to remain closed for longer, the council has announced.
Hampshire County Council says it has been unable to reopen the southern footway on the A35 due to delivery delays.
The closure is the result of below-standard parapet panels being sent back to the manufacturer.
As replacement panels are yet to be delivered and installed, it’s likely the footway will remain shut until at least the end of February.
A message on the council’s website says: “Hampshire County Council has been unable to re-open the south footway on the A35, over the Redbridge Causeway, as planned due to a delay in completing the parapet upgrade.
“Unfortunately, batches of the new parapet panels have had to be returned to the manufacturer as they have not met the required quality standard.
“As a precautionary measure, the panels that have already been installed need to be removed and returned to the manufacturer for further assessment.
“The County Council is liaising closely with the contractor and supplier to try and resolve this matter as quickly as possible.
“However, until the replacement panels are delivered and installed, it is not safe for pedestrians and cyclists to use the southern footway and it is likely that it will need to remain closed until at least the end of February 2023.”
Roadworks on Redbridge Causeway, a key route connecting Southampton to Totton and the New Forest, have caused hour-long delays in the past few weeks.
A lane closure is in place to keep traffic off the south side of Redbridge Road Bridge while repairs are carried out directly beneath it.
Pictures shared by Cllr Nick Adams-King last month show the ‘concrete cancer’ on the underside of the bridge, which makes the structure unsafe.
The £25m project by the county council is “absolutely necessary”, he said, to address the issue and “extend the life of the causeway by at least 60 years”.
The current lane closure is set to be lifted on February 17.
However, as the right-hand lane reopens, the left-hand lane will close until March 31.
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