HORSESHOE Bridge is closing for cleaning work.
A team will be removing graffiti from Monday, March 21, and is expected to last 10 days.
With the footpath closed, pedestrians are being diverted under the Napier Road tunnel instead.
This diversion continues onto Kenavon Drive, Liverpool Road, London Road, and then into Thames Valley Park.
The Kennetside footpath will also be closed eastbound from Cumberland Road.
Network Rail contractors will begin by cleaning graffiti from the bridge before repainting it.
The work will also see the community plaque affixed to the bridge taken down and kept in storage by the council.
Cllr Tony Page, the council’s lead councillor for strategic environment, planning and transport, said that the works were long overdue.
He said: “The Horseshoe Bridge is very well used by the local community, but is now almost completely covered in graffiti and tags, and the paintwork is flaking and in need of a refresh.
“Sight lines are also poor as pedestrians cannot see around the corners as they approach the down ramps of the bridge.”
The closure is the first stage of works, with a second stage set to replace the bridge’s wooden panels with mesh.
The second stage could also add a community mural, though listed building consent would need to be secured.
This second stage is expected to begin later this year.
Cllr Page said: “All graffiti will be removed and the bridge will be repainted as part of the first phase of works, which will immediately improve the feeling of safety for users.
“Replacing the wooden panels with wire mesh will improve sightlines immeasurably and will mean the historic adjoining brick railway bridge will be visible from the ground rather than screened off.”
The bridge is a listed structure dating back to 1892, and is adjoined to a rail bridge built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel.
The footbridge will be closed from Monday, March 21.
