Zouch Bridge replacement scheme

Zouch Bridge was built in 1930. It forms part of the A6006 which is an important part of the road network, linking the region’s transport and trade routes, including the strategic road network, East Midlands Freeport and East Midlands Airport. It links Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire by crossing the River Soar between the villages of Hathern in Charnwood, and Zouch in the Rushcliffe Borough. Loughborough is about 4 miles to the south.

Above: The new Zouch Bridge with a 3-metre wide shared cycleway and footway on one side, and a standard footway on the other side of the two-way carriageway.

The condition of the bridge had been slowly deteriorating. To enable the bridge to remain open to as many vehicles as possible an 18-tonne weight limit was implemented in 2023.

The council is responsible for around 300 bridges which require continuing maintenance, but none need work on the scale of Zouch any time soon.

Work started with the turf cutting ceremony in late July 2024.

Latest updates

Please email Lesley Davison if you would like to receive news and progress updates by email.

July 2026: New bridge opens to traffic

A major milestone for the Zouch Bridge Replacement Scheme has been reached with the opening of the new bridge, over the River Soar, to vehicles, pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians.

The new bridge is strong enough to take standard lorry loads and a weight restriction is no longer needed. The full A6006 route between the A6 in Leicestershire and the A60 in Nottinghamshire will reopen once Network Rail completes its work at nearby Kirk Hill Bridge, which is expected later in July 2026. Until then, through traffic and HGVs will need to continue using the signed diversion routes.

With the new bridge now in use, work has moved on to removing the old structure and completing final elements of the scheme, with everything expected to finish in autumn 2026.

It is necessary to remove the old bridge because the structural integrity has reached the end of its serviceable time and is a safety and maintenance liability. The old approach roads will be landscaped with native plant species.

Above: Part of the new approach road on the Nottinghamshire side of the bridge can be seen. The new approach roads and bridge are over 500 metres long.

Above: The new bridge has steel beams spanning the River Soar. The thin layer of rust formed on the steel beams is there to protect the beams, removing the need for painting or other maintenance treatments in the future.

The full bridge is 76 metres long, with the longest span across the river being 31.5 metres.

In addition:

• 1,400 cubic metres of concrete was used
• 453 tonnes of steel was installed
• 66 piles were used to anchor the structure into the ground

Above: For a short while, until the demolition of the old bridge is completed, the new bridge and the old bridge sit side by side.

June 2026: Contractor's update

October 2024: Initial ground preparation and in-river work completed

Above: The photo (October 2024) shows the abutment and pier cofferdams on the east side of the river in the background and the abutment cofferdam on the west side of the river in the foreground. The compacted stone areas indicate the route of the new approach roads on each side of the river.

July 2024: Initial ground preparation and in-river work begins

Site clearance and 'in river' work started after the turf cutting ceremony in late July 2024.

Above: From left to right, the abutment, two pier columns and the pier at the river's edge on the west side of the river. The stone in the foreground is where previous bridge foundations needed to be removed before construction of the new bridge foundation could begin.

Timeline

• During 2026 the new bridge and approach roads will be ready for use by the public and the old bridge will be carefully demolished with work currently scheduled to be completed by early 2027.
• In Spring 2025 the contractor started building the new bridge piers inside the dry areas that have been created by the cofferdams.
• Temporary works were undertaken between August and October 2024 to construct the cofferdams (piling to create dry watertight working areas). The work was done at this time of year to protect spawning fish.
• In July 2024 a contract was signed with Eric Wright Civil Engineering to build a replacement bridge.
• Throughout 2023 the Procurement Strategy was progressed, and a tender was issued to five contractors.
• Following the news that the LuF funding bid had been unsuccessful, funding from the Leicestershire County Council Business Rates Pool was made available, providing a new budget of nearly £20m.
• In 2022, the County Council became aware of potential funding through the Government’s Levelling up Fund (LuF). A bid was submitted in conjunction with Nottinghamshire County Council in August 2022.
• Between 2019 to 2022 work on the design and cost estimating took place.
• Following the Public Inquiry, the Secretary of State confirmed the Compulsory Purchase Order and Side Road Order in January 2019 ensuring that the land needed to build the new bridge was available.
• The County Council’s Cabinet approved the proposed replacement bridge option in July 2014 and planning permission was granted in July 2018.

Construction 

The construction contractor doing the building work on behalf of Leicestershire County Council is called Eric Wright Civil Engineering.

The work has been arranged to keep disruption on the highway to a minimum, but some inconvenience and disturbance to neighbouring residents may result.

The work was programmed to restrict road closures to the time periods when the main beams were delivered, the re-alignment of the new carriageway to join onto the existing line of the A6006 leading to the new bridge takes place, and when diverting essential utilities such as gas and water pipes. The development map shows where the new bridge has been built.

The bridge components were assembled on the land adjacent to the river and, due to the presence of overhead, high-voltage cables ruling out the use of cranes, guided into place using a jacking system.

The old bridge will be demolished with the work currently scheduled to be complete by early 2027.