Avon Bridge (Ringwood)

This article is about The bridge over the River Avon in Ringwood, bypassed by the A31.
For Other Avon Bridges, see Avon Bridge.

The three bridges over the Avon in 2023

Avon Bridge is an old bridge over the River Avon on West Street on the western side of Ringwood in Hampshire. Immediately to the north, the A31 crosses the river on two bridges, forming a dual carriageway.

Old Bridge

The original crossing stands on West Street, by the Fish Inn. It is a three arch stone bridge which sits low above the water level. It has a slightly humped profile over the central arch, and carries a narrow two lane road with pavement on the upstream side only.

Bypass Bridges

A single carriageway bypass for the old bridge, and for Ringwood itself, was built in 1938. The new bridge was a twin span concrete arch bridge which was demolished in 2022. In 1969, to accompany the opening of the Bournemouth Spur Road, the A31 past Ringwood was upgraded again, and turned into a dual carriageway. A new, much wider, bridge was built upstream of the older bridges to carry four lanes of eastbound traffic. The alignment of the road suggests there was an aspiration to replace the 1930s westbound bridge too. That didn't happen at the time, but work in 2022-23 did see the 1930s bridge replaced with a new structure which now carries three lanes.