Nottinghamshire councillors are conflicted over where a fourth road bridge over the River Trent should be built after a new location was suggested.
Nottingham is currently served by Lady Bay Bridge, Clifton Bridge, and Trent Bridge, but local politicians have argued that a fourth road bridge would help further relieve traffic jams across the city and beyond.
While a crossing at Trent Basin is currently being built by Nottingham City Council for cyclists and pedestrians, the last road bridge was built decades ago.
In March, before Reform took control of Nottinghamshire County Councillor Mike Adams secured money for a study into a fourth bridge over the river at Colwick.
But during a Full Council meeting on Thursday (September 18) a location further to the north of the county – in Bassetlaw – was suggested by a Reform councillor.
Nottinghamshire county councillor Mike Robertson, who represents the Misterton division, said there is only one bridge over the Trent within an 18-mile radius in that part of the county.
The existing single-carriageway Flood Road bridge connects Beckingham in Nottinghamshire to Gainsborough in Lincolnshire.
He said the road was closed in 2024 when the river breached its banks, causing significant traffic problems – and added a fourth crossing in the area could better serve the planned STEP nuclear fusion power plant in West Burton.
“The A631 is the arterial route between Doncaster and Gainsborough,” Cllr Robertson said.
“It dissects my division and is the main transport connection for all of my residents.
“As I explained in my previous contributions my division is very much a cross-border area, with residents having links to South Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. Many have employment in Gainsborough or the West Lindsay area. Children from the division attend schools in Gainsborough with many also having family there.
“With the area only having one crossing of the Trent within 18 miles, this is a vital piece of infrastructure that supports local lives and economy. When it fails, which it frequently does, the area is massively impacted.
“Having such limited infrastructure has a massive impact on residents and businesses in my division, but also across the river in Gainsborough and West Lindsay.
“As elected leaders, we should focus on the benefits of geography, not just the authority. What the area needs is an additional crossing of the Trent fit for the 21st Century, enabling residents and businesses to cross the river without impediment.
“With Reform leading the county administrations on both sides of the river and a regional mayor in Lincolnshire, we should be looking to deliver a crossing to benefit the whole area.”
A debate over a new road crossing across the river was held back in 2022 in parliament, after traffic problems became particularly apparent following the closure of Clifton Bridge in 2020 due to structural problems.
Some lanes on the bridge were closed for more than 20 months while repair work took place, and initial closures made Nottingham one of the world’s most congested cities at the time.
County councillor Mike Adams, who represents Carlton East for the Conservatives, said he had been campaigning for a new bridge at Colwick for years.
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service the location proposed by Reform “will be great for Lincolnshire” – not necessarily a wider area of Nottinghamshire.
“The fourth Trent crossing near Colwick will be the single biggest infrastructure project the East Midlands has seen,” he said.
“It will connect Gedling borough to a major transport artery in either the A46 or A52.
“We will see jobs created both in its construction, existing businesses to expand, and new businesses to form. An example is the reduction in journeys from waste treatment plants owned by Veolia, Biff and Enva, based at Colwick, making it easier to access the residential, public sector, and business customers it services.
“It will make our road network resilient to failures in the existing bridge infrastructure across Nottingham.
“A fourth Trent crossing is not just my choice, not just thought up recently, it’s the residents’ choice. It has been talked about for decades.
“We need to back the residents who overwhelmingly want this.
“Let’s be honest; anywhere else will not see the benefit to the whole of Nottinghamshire as this connection will bring.”
The location for a new bridge has been a contentious issue.
A new structure at Radcliffe was recommended in 2004, and Gedling Borough Council proposed one at Holme Pierrepont in 2014.
The new study will assess all options, including the preference of many for a new bridge at Colwick, with updates expected later this year.
The study was funded using money from the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA).
