It’s one-way. Has been since October 2023. Into town, from the Kidderminster side. Outbound? It’s the bypass or the Switchback — you know the drill.
For a few blissful days over Christmas and New Year (both 2023 and 2024), it opened both ways again. Signs came down, tempers cooled, and there was even a suggestion that the chaos had ended. It hadn’t. On 5th January 2025 at 11pm, the one-way system returned, like nothing had happened. Of course it did.
Why? Because of the flood defence work at Beales Corner. Vital, overdue, and very much still in progress. The Environment Agency is building a permanent scheme to protect the town from the River Severn. That means roadworks, closures, machinery, noise, cones, and a thousand local rumours.
According to their latest updates, the bridge is due to reopen in both directions in July 2025, in time for the school holidays. That depends on the weather, the river, and how many more layers of stone they need to shift. It might happen. It might not. But that’s the plan.
If you want the official version of events, you can read it at the Beales Corner Flood Risk Management Scheme page. It’s all there in PDFs: diversions, timelines, diagrams, even a photo of someone holding a clipboard.
Alternatively, type “bridge open Bewdley” into Facebook and prepare yourself for live updates from local eyewitnesses, including long-lens shots of traffic signs, well-meaning conspiracy theories, and comments that just say “again?”
So, is the bridge open?
Yes. One way. Unless it’s Christmas.
You’ll figure it out.
