Transport Act 1968

118 Duty of highway authorities, etc., as respects bridges over Boards’ railways or inland waterways. E+W+S

(1) This section applies to any bridge, including a bridge constructed after the day on which this section comes into force, which—

(a) carries a [F1 road][F1 highway] over one or more of the following, that is to say, a railway of the Railways Board, a railway of [F2 London Regional Transport] or an inland waterway of the Waterways Board; and

(b) belongs to the Minister, the Secretary of State, a local [F3 highway][F3 roads] authority or some other person not being the Board or Boards whose railway or waterway is crossed by the bridge.

(2) Subject to subsections (4) and (5) of this section, it shall be the duty of the person to whom a bridge to which this section applies belongs (in this section referred to as “the owner”) to maintain it in such a condition that it is not a source of danger to, and does not interfere with, or require any restriction to be placed on, the traffic from time to time using the railway or inland waterway crossed by the bridge.

(3) Any of the said Boards whose railway or inland waterway is crossed by a bridge to which this section applies (in this section referred to as “the relevant Board”) shall be entitled at all reasonable times to inspect and survey that bridge and for that purpose to place on or against it such apparatus as may be reasonably required; and subject to subsection (5) of this section, the Board may—

(a) at any time serve on the owner a notice requiring him to carry out, within such reasonable time as may be specified in the notice, any works so specified which are required to maintain the bridge in, or to restore it to, the condition mentioned in subsection (2) of this section; and

(b) if all or any of those works are not satisfactorily carried out by the owner in accordance with the notice, themselves carry out all or any of those works and recover the reasonable expenses of so doing from the owner;

and, if, in the opinion of the Board, it is necessary so to do by reason of the urgency of the matter, the Board may, without giving any such notice, themselves carry out any works which are required as aforesaid and, subject to subsection (5) of this section, recover the reasonable expenses of so doing from the owner.

(4) The relevant Board shall afford to the owner of a bridge to which this section applies such access to land occupied by them as he may reasonably require for maintaining the bridge in, or restoring it to, the condition mentioned in subsection (2) of this section, except that the Board shall not be obliged to afford access for any works the carrying out of which would, in the opinion of the Board, involve danger to or interference with, or require any restriction to be placed on, traffic using the railway or inland waterway crossed by the bridge, and where the Board refuse access as aforesaid—

(a) the owner of the bridge shall not by virtue of subsection (2) of this section be under any duty to carry out those works; but

(b) the Board may themselves carry out those works and, subject to subsection (5) of this section, recover the reasonable expenses of so doing from the owner.

(5) The owner of a bridge shall not by virtue of the foregoing provisions of this section be under any duty to carry out or pay for works for making good any defect—

(a) caused by the withdrawal of support from land in connection with the working or getting of minerals or with brine pumping; or

(b) for which the relevant Board are themselves responsible;

but nothing in this subsection shall affect any agreement between the owner of the bridge and the relevant Board and, subject to any such agreement, the relevant Board shall be entitled to carry out any works which are required to make good any such defect as aforesaid.

(6) The owner of any bridge to which this section applies shall afford to the relevant Board such access to land occupied by him as they may reasonably require for exercising their powers under this section; but the Board shall not claim such access as of right unless they have given the owner not less than seven days previous notice in writing stating the purpose of the proposed entry, except that they shall not be obliged to give such a notice if, in their opinion, it is impracticable to do so by reason of the urgency of the matter, in which case they shall take such steps as are reasonably practicable (before or after they enter the land) for informing the owner of the purpose of the entry.

(7) Where, in exercising their powers under this section in relation to any bridge, a Board cause damage to the bridge or to any land occupied by the owner of the bridge, they shall pay to the owner such compensation as may be just.

(8) The duty imposed by subsection (2) of this section on the owner of a bridge shall be in addition to any duty of the owner to maintain the bridge which arises under any other enactment or any order or agreement passed or made before the day on which this section comes into force or the date on which the bridge became a bridge to which this section applies, as the case may be; and, if under any such enactment, order or agreement there are subsisting as between the owner and the relevant Board any rights or liabilities as respects the making of payments in connection with the maintenance of the bridge, those rights and liabilities may be abrogated or modified by agreement between them or, in default of agreement, on the application of either of them, by arbitration.

(9) Any dispute arising out of this section between the owner of a bridge and a Board shall be referred to arbitration, but this subsection—

(a) shall be without prejudice to any provision of this section whereby any matter is to be determined by the opinion of a Board; and

(b) shall not preclude the carrying out by a Board of any works pending the determination of any arbitration proceedings.

(10) The provisions of this section shall have effect in relation to any bridge subject to any agreement made between the owner of the bridge and the relevant Board after the date on which those provisions became applicable to the bridge.

(11) Where any cable, pipe or other apparatus is incorporated in or attached to a bridge to which this section applies, then—

(a) if the apparatus belongs to the owner of the bridge, it shall be treated for the purposes of this section as forming part of the bridge; and

(b) if the apparatus belongs to some other person, the provisions of subsections (2) to (10) of this section shall have effect in relation to the apparatus and to that person as they have effect in relation to a bridge to which this section applies and to the owner of such a bridge;

but none of the said Boards shall by virtue of this subsection interfere with the use of any such apparatus for providing any supply or service if the apparatus is so used by its owner under statutory powers and he has not consented to that interference.

(12) Nothing in this section shall be taken as authorising any person to interfere with traffic lawfully using any bridge, or as authorising the disregard of any of the provisions of the M1 Public Utilities Street Works Act 1950.

Textual Amendments

F1 Word “road" substituted (S.) (1.1.1985) for word “highway" by Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 (c. 54, SIF 108), s. 157(2), Sch. 9 para. 66(4)(a)

F2 Words substituted by virtue of London Regional Transport Act 1984 (c. 32, SIF 126), Sch. 4 Pt. I para. 4(1)

F3 Word “road" substituted (S.) (1.1.1985) for word “highway" by Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 (c. 54, SIF 108), s. 157(2), Sch. 9 para. 66(4)(b)

Modifications etc. (not altering text)

C1 S. 118 amended by Transport (London) Act 1969 (c. 35), Sch. 3 para. 1(1)(2)

C2 Ss. 116-118 applied (with modifications) (21.5.1992) by S.I. 1992/1267, art.7.

Marginal Citations

M1 1950 c. 39.