HGVs make their way to Gheluvelt Park as work on Kepax bridge ramps up

The lorries are taking site cabins and offices to Gheluvelt Park in Barbourne today (Monday, November 7) and tomorrow.

That involves them navigating some of the narrow Victorian streets that surround the park.

Work started on the new walking and cycling bridge, which will connect Gheluvelt Park to the old Kepax landfill site in St John’s, last month.

Construction work is taking place in the park (Image: Phil Wilkinson-Jones, Newsquest)

Marc Bayliss is Worcestershire County Council’s cabinet member for economy, infrastructure and skills and joint leader of Worcester City Council.

As work got underway last month, he said: “This bridge is an important part of our commitment to improving walking and cycling infrastructure in Worcestershire, so it’s great that we’re now ready for these works to really begin in earnest.

“The bridge will be a fantastic addition to the city, providing much improved connectivity for commuters, local residents, visitors and those in the area for leisure.

'Major boost for health and wellbeing'

“Once completed, the bridge will bring a major boost for the health and wellbeing of people, encouraging many more to walk and cycle around our beautiful city.”

The bridge project is expected to be completed in 2024.

Signs outside the park warn of lorries approaching (Image: Phil Wilkinson-Jones, Newsquest)

The county council says it will allow walkers and cyclists to complete a figure-of-eight route alongside the River Severn, from Diglis Bridge in the south to the Sabrina Bridge near the city centre, to the Kepax bridge in the north and back again.

Planning consent for the Kepax bridge was granted in September 2021 and a number of trees at the western end of Gheluvelt Park were removed in January 2022 as preparation works got underway.

READ MORE: Criticism as cost of Kepax bridge set to reach £16 million

Worcestershire’s cabinet agreed to authorise the award of the main construction contract in September, allowing work to progress.

But there was also criticism of the project as it was revealed that the cost of building the bridge had almost doubled to £16 million, leading St John’s councillor Richard Udall to call for it to be scrapped, describing it as “a bridge too far”.