'Seagull Bridge' to be removed

RAIL BRIDGE HAS CAUGHT LORRIES OUT

- MILES O'LEARY and KIRSTIE MCCRUM

A LANDMARK Plymouth bridge is set to be demolished as major changes to the road network are announced in the city.

The ‘seagull’ railway structure on Embankment Road – which has caught out lorries in the past – is being removed in an effort to make the route safer after it was first mooted in 2021. The removal of the 4.8m redundant bridge will ensure larger HGVs can pass through.

It was previously identified the bridge prevented high vehicles from using Embankment Road – for example those used by Royal Mail to access the postal sorting depot on Breakwater Road and so therefore forcing detours via Mutley or through Cot Hill. The work comes as Plymouth scoops £6.35m in funding for major road improvements. The overall focus will be on Plymouth’s Major Road Network (MRN), which links the A38 junctions at Weston Mill and Marsh Mills via the city centre and forms a critical route from the east and west of the city.