The council owns and is responsible for about:

• 1,177 highway bridges
• 843 footbridges
• 745 culverts
• 131 fords

There are also 326 owned by others:

• Highways England (trunk roads and motorway)
• Network Rail (railways
• Highways England Historic Railways Estate (disused railways)

Of these bridges, 18 are designated as ancient monuments and 121 are listed buildings.

Consent must be requested before any maintenance work.   

As a rule, the bridge usually belongs to the organisation that needed the bridge in the first place. However, ownership of some bridges is sometimes transferred, such as when the responsibility for a route changes.   

The council's bridges are inspected roughly every two years. A bridge condition score and programme of maintenance work is then drawn up.   

Incidents of damage are investigated as soon as possible. When damage is caused to bridges by vehicles, reporting the vehicle’s details sometimes means it’s possible for the council to claim the cost of the repairs to the bridge or culvert. If you do strike a bridge or witness a bridge strike on Northumberland County Councils road network. Please call Northumberland County Council immediately on 0345 600 6400. 

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