Stoneleigh ‘Bridge to Nowhere’ backfilling due to finish this month

Backfilling around the ‘Bridge to Nowhere’ at the A46 Stoneleigh junction is due to finish by the end of October, weather permitting, according to Warwickshire County Council’s latest update. Waterproofing and drainage work is also under way, with road box construction to follow. The wider project is now expected to cost £80 million and finish in summer 2027, five years later than originally projected.

Backfilling at the Stoneleigh junction

The council’s update, reported by Nub News on 4 October, identifies backfilling around the bridge as a current focus of construction. The stated aim is to complete that work by the end of the month.

That target comes with a weather condition. It is therefore an expected completion point for this part of the work, rather than an unconditional deadline. The update does not give a particular day when backfilling will end.

The distinction between this month’s target and the overall completion date is important. Finishing the backfilling would complete one task in the construction sequence, not the whole junction project. Other work must be completed before the next stage can begin.

For readers following the delayed scheme, the immediate milestone is therefore the end-of-October backfilling target. The information supplied does not say how much of that work has already been completed, or give a percentage for progress across the project as a whole.

Waterproofing and road box construction

Alongside backfilling, waterproofing and drainage systems are being applied. These are the other activities identified in the latest account of work at the bridge.

Road box construction is due to begin once those tasks are finished. The update sets out an order of work, but does not provide a separate start date or completion date for the road box stage.

The sequence described is:

• Complete the backfilling around the bridge.
• Finish the waterproofing and drainage work.
• Begin road box construction once those tasks are complete.

The end-of-month target is specifically attached to backfilling. It should not be read as a confirmed date for finishing all the activities currently under way, or as a promise that road box construction will start immediately afterwards.

No duration is given for the next stage. The update therefore explains what needs to happen next without providing a detailed timetable for every remaining part of construction.

Budget and completion date

The project is significantly over budget, with its expected cost now £80 million. Its finish date has moved to summer 2027, five years later than initially projected.

These are the main details in the update:

The £80 million figure is the expected total cost of the project. It is not presented as the amount of the overspend alone. Because the original budget is not given in the supplied material, the increase cannot be expressed here as either a cash difference or a percentage.

Likewise, summer 2027 is the stated completion period rather than a precise opening day. The latest account does not provide a day or month within that summer window.

Backfill shortages and project redesigns

A lack of backfill material has been a source of problems for the scheme. That shortage made project redesigns necessary, linking the availability of material to changes in how the work would be carried out.

This is the explanation given for the difficulties, rather than simply a report that construction has taken longer than planned. The project has had to address a material shortage through changes to its design.

The supplied account does not describe the individual redesigns, identify the quantity of material missing or say when the shortage first became a problem. It also does not divide the five-year delay between particular causes or stages of work.

Backfilling is now taking place, but the update does not explicitly say that every material-supply issue has been resolved. The confirmed position is that the current backfilling work has an end-of-month target, subject to the weather.

Council responsibility for extra costs

Warwickshire County Council bears responsibility for the project’s cost overruns. The additional costs are also worsening the council’s financial strains.

That makes the budget position a council finance issue as well as a construction issue. However, the supplied account does not identify how the extra costs will be funded or set out a payment timetable.

It does not name any service reductions, changes to other projects or tax decisions resulting from the overspend. Those outcomes should not be assumed from the £80 million estimate.

The supported position is narrower: the council is responsible for the overruns, and those overruns add to its existing financial pressure. There is no breakdown showing how much of the total relates to redesigns, materials or other elements of the scheme.

What this means for Kenilworth

For Kenilworth residents following work at the A46 Stoneleigh junction, the update confirms that construction is continuing, but completion of the wider project remains scheduled for summer 2027.

The practical distinction is between progress on site and the finish date. Completing backfilling this month would not mean that the whole scheme was ready; waterproofing and drainage must also be finished before road box construction begins.

The supplied information does not announce changes to access, new diversions or revised traffic arrangements. It therefore provides no basis for advising residents to change a particular journey or expect a particular improvement in travel times.

Residents have two stated timescales to follow: the weather-dependent backfilling target at the end of October and the overall completion period in summer 2027. A dated programme for the intervening stages, including road box construction, is not provided in this update.