An old railway bridge that now carries the Marriott's Way walking and cycle route across the River Wensum at Hellesdon will be closed for up to 13 weeks from Friday, 11 September, to allow major maintenance work to be carried out.

The Hellesdon A-Frame Bridge, built around 1882 to carry the Lenwade to Norwich railway line, is 4.3m wide, crossing the river in a single 23.8m span.

Norfolk County Council is spending £230,000 to improve the overall condition of the bridge and extend its life. The works will include repainting all the metalwork, casting a new concrete deck and applying a non-slip surface, fixing a new 1.4 metre parapet fence, and minor brickwork repairs to both abutments. The work is being carried out by May Gurney under the Planning & Transportation partnership with the County Council.

Unfortunately, the nature and extent of the work makes it impossible to open safely until it is complete. Marriott's Way will therefore remain closed at the bridge throughout, including weekends and evenings, and pedestrians and cyclists are asked to follow a marked diversion route using (heading into Norwich) Hellesdon Road, Hellesdon Hall Road (crossing the A140 Sweetbriar Road - Norwich ring road - at the traffic lights) and Sloughbottom Park.

In 2006 a survey found that an average 345 cyclists a day - ranging from just over 200 in the winter to nearly 500 in the summer, used the path as an attractive traffic-free route into Norwich. Norfolk County Council apologises for the inconvenience caused during this essential maintenance.