A historic railway bridge filled in with concrete could be restored by spring after a Norfolk council launched enforcement action against the government-owned company responsible.
National Highways has been told it must remove the 1,000 tonnes of material it poured underneath Congham Bridge, over the former South Lynn to Great Yarmouth branch line.
The organisation 'infilled' the structure in 2021, claiming it had to do to make it safe.
But the move appalled heritage groups who have since been campaigning for the 1923 bridge.
In October, West Norfolk councillors rejected an attempt by National Highways to apply for retrospective permission for the work.
The company said the work was carried out as an emergency measure to support the structure but it later broke permitted development regulations when it failed to remove the concrete within 12 months.
West Norfolk Council has now said National Highways will have until April 10 to remove the concrete and stones, which cost £127,000 to put in place.
Michael de Whalley, chairman of Congham Parish Council, said: "National Highways actions were very frustrating. There are fantastic possibilities if it is reopened but how do you maintain a bridge if it is encased in concrete?
"We want them to undo the work and maintain the bridge properly in the hope it can be used as something more constructive such as a cycleway or greenway."
National Highways has previously said it would appeal against the enforcement action but is yet to confirm that this will be the case.
It has defended its actions, claiming it was "the best option" to protect the crossing.
The Heritage Railway Estate Group, who have been campaigning for the bridge to be restored, fear the row is likely to continue.
Graeme Bickerdike, of the HRE group, said: “The bridge was valued by the community and locals want to see it restored.
"Work to remove the infill should start immediately, but we expect National Highways to fight on.”
Congham Bridge is one of just six which were built in the 1920s by William Marriott, engineer of the Midland and Great Northern Railway, featuring curved wingwalls.
The Lynn to Fakenham line closed in 1959 but the bridge has remained in use, carrying a quiet country road, St Andrews Lane, across the now-abandoned track.
But a century after it was opened, it had become corroded and began to develop fractures.
The concrete in-filling has been criticised by West Norfolk councillors, who described the act as
tern Daily Press: The bridge after it was filled in with concrete
National Highways has spent more than £8m on infilling 51 bridges since it assumed the responsibility for managing the Historic Railway Estate in 2013.
The government paused the company's controversial practices in July 2021 - a few months after it carried out the work at Congham Bridge - but six structures are earmarked for infilling next summer if permission is granted.
It is now the second time the agency will be forced to restore a historic bridge.
Engineers have dug out hundreds of tonnes of concrete from Great Musgrave Bridge in Cumbria after Eden District Council ordered it to restore the Victorian structure last year.
Congham Bridge was built in 1926 as part of the Midland and Great Northern Joint Railway network.
The railway route connected South Lynn with Fakenham before continuing on to Great Yarmouth.
It was built following the designs of William Marriott, who was instrumental in the development of Norfolk's railways.
At 183 miles the M&GN train system was the longest of the joint railways, linking Great Yarmouth and Sutton Bridge.
But following the Second World War, the railways had fallen into disrepair and certain sections began to be closed.
The final engines travelled along the line in 1959.
This preceded the Beeching Cuts the following decade, which led to vast sections of the railway network to be closed.