A key travel route between Cookham and Bourne End will be reopened ahead of schedule.

Cookham Bridge has been closed to motorists since October 2023 for "essential maintenance" including bearing replacement, re-waterproofing, resurfacing and joint replacement.

With an original completion date of March 22, the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead have confirmed the route will be up and running as of Saturday, March 16.

Final works will continue underneath the bridge until next month to complete the project.

The works have extended the life of the Grade II listed structure, ensuring the bridge, which has a 7.5 tonne weight limit, continues to serve the community for many years to come and means more disruptive work will be avoided in future years. 

Councillor Geoff Hill, Cabinet Member for highways and transport, said: “I’m pleased to see this project largely completed, which will future-proof Cookham Bridge for years to come.

“While I understand that this project has brought some temporary disruption for road users, residents and businesses in the area, we have strived to keep this to a minimum.

“I’d particularly like to thank the community and businesses in Cookham for their patience and understanding while this work has been ongoing.

“This was a complex project involving detailed technical work on a listed structure, which had to be undertaken in phases. 

"In January, the village was affected by significant flooding, and, alongside our emergency response, we continued to prioritise these essential maintenance works as we knew this was important to the community."