Discover how the winter flooding experienced around the UK has damaged structures like bridges and what kinds of repairs will likely be needed as a result.
As most people in the UK will have noticed, it’s been a rather wet start to the year. In fact, Met Office data shows that the country received 117 per cent of the country’s average rainfall in January.
This has led to flooding in multiple locations around the country, particularly in the south-west of England and south Wales.
For instance, in Cornwall and Devon, railway lines have been disrupted by flooding, with three lines closed as of the beginning of February.
Network Rail revealed that specialist dive teams will need to carry out inspections on bridges and viaducts along the routes affected by the flooding to ensure that these structures have not suffered any damage that needs repairing.
But the south-west of the country is far from the only region that has experienced damage and disruption due to the persistent and at times heavy rain.
In Leeds, Linton Bridge was damaged at the start of January during flooding on the River Wharfe. The city council revealed that the foundations of the bridge could have been damaged, necessitating significant repair work.
Leeds City Council announced that the bridge would remain closed for a number of months while a full assessment of its condition is carried out and the necessary repair work undertaken. However, in order for this work to happen, the level of the river needs to fall first.
Given the continued rainfall that much of the UK has had since the start of the year, this could delay the process in Leeds. What’s more, there is the possibility that flooding and exceptionally high river levels have caused damage to other structures around the country.
What will be needed to repair damaged bridges?
In many cases, as in Leeds, it will be difficult to assess the full extent of any flood damage caused to bridges until water levels have fallen. This is likely to lead to road and railway closures in some locations until a bridge’s safety can be determined.
Once an assessment is made, the most appropriate course of action can be determined. This will vary from bridge to bridge. In some scenarios, damaged concrete may need to be removed and replaced.
Such concrete structure repairs must be carried out by specialist teams to ensure the integrity of the bridge. In some cases, a technique known as hydrodemolition is used to remove the damaged concrete by spraying it with an ultra high-pressure water jet.
Once the damaged section has been safely removed, the structure can be repaired using high-performance concrete and mortars, restoring its strength and integrity.
To ensure the stability of the bridge during any repair works, bridge jacking may be required. This is a process by which the bridge can be lifted or lowered slightly to enable engineers to carry out repairs.
It’s most frequently used to replace bearings, but it has applications in other situations as well. Our experts will be able to advise you based on the nature of the repairs required and the location of the bridge in question.