A BLOCKED-off rail bridge in Lostock may soon be reopened to cars, ending the long diversions drivers are currently having to take.

Rumworth Bridge was closed in May last year on the grounds that it was too weak. But it could soon be opened for light vehicles following extensive tests.

The news will be welcomed by more than 300 residents on the Junction Road West side of the Network Rail-owned bridge.

They have complained that they have been getting an unfair proportion of the diverted traffic.

It will also mean drivers will not have to make a half-mile detour.

No date has been given for when the bridge could be reopened but the move is outlined in a consultation report by council engineers which also includes proposals for traffic calming measures in Chew Moor village and the areas around Lostock Junction Lane, Regent Road and Glengarth Drive.

As part of the consultation project, more than 5,000 local residents, plus motorists, were asked what they felt about the future traffic patterns of the area.

People said they were concerned that the diversion was causing congestion on some roads. At the same time, however, some other roads were quieter because of the diversion.

Cllr Guy Harkin, Bolton Council Executive Member for Environment, said: "This was an important issue with a lot of implications for local people and we felt it right and proper that they should be consulted and kept in the picture.

"The feedback was extremely good and very useful."

Concerns were also raised about the speed of some vehicles in the area.

People were quizzed about Beaumont Road which is a busy part of Bolton's ring road.

It is to be resurfaced soon and highways staff have been looking at introducing further safety measures for pedestrians and cyclists.

Six options were given to people who took part in the questionnaire.

The option which received the biggest vote was the one for the road to be left the way it is, with four lanes, rather than reducing it to two.