At last, damaged pavement finally repaired

WORK to replace damaged paving slabs on Henley Bridge has started.

The footpath reconstruction work, which is being carried out by contractors for Oxfordshire County Council, the highways authority, began on Monday and is set to finish next Friday.

A temporary three-way traffic light system was installed to manage the traffic on Thame Side, Hart Street and White Hill.

Henley Bridge was also reduced to one lane, and drivers had to wait for about 30 minutes at all points coming into the town during the rush hour.

Those travelling into Henley from the Fair Mile, Marlow Road, Wargrave Road and White Hill were all affected.

Emma Lerche-Thomsen, 63, a charity fundraiser who lives in Remenham Hill, had to postpone appointments and meeting a friend on Tuesday due to the traffic. She said: “I had an appointment at 9am. I had been away for the weekend and when I came back on Monday I saw that the traffic was bad.

“I turned right down Remenham Church Lane and there were a lot of cars, which is quite normal. But then I passed the church and found that the traffic was backed up and people were turning back around.

“I was on the phone to my friend, who was stuck in Marlow Road coming into Henley and we agreed at around 9.30am to abandon it and I had to leave most of my appointments and had to stay in Henley for most of the morning. There should have been more of a warning in advance because it’s all about planning your journey. But it’s great that they are replacing the pavement.”

The paving slabs were removed in 2021 after they were damaged by heavy goods vehicles, according to county councillor Stefan Gawrysiak, who represents Henley.

The council carried out a temporary fix before the Henley Royal Regatta three years ago by tarmacking the stretch of pavement.

Residents and the Henley Society, a conservation group, has spent years lobbying the council to speed up the works, as well as repairs to Henley Bridge itself.

As reported in last week’s Henley Standard, repairs to the fabric of the bridge, including the removal of a black and white “H” graffiti tag, should now be under way but are postponed until next spring due to the river conditions.

The county council, which is responsible for the maintenance of the 238-year-old bridge, said the repairs were necessary to prevent “substantial damage” to its structural significance as the bridge has suffered “severe weathering”.