Motorists will be facing four months of disruption, as £770,000 of essential repair works have been given the go-ahead for the city’s Pelham Bridge.
Commuters and motorists will be facing four months of disruption, as £770,000 of essential repair works have been given the go-ahead for the city’s Pelham Bridge, reports Lincolnshire Live.
Officials have stated that plans to re-waterproof the busy road had been postponed due to other infrastructure projects such as the Lincoln Eastern Bypass. However, the bridge has not been re-proofed since it’s opening by the Queen in 1958, and it has suffered damage from water entering the structure. Several expansion joints are also in need of replacement.
“The work is necessary, we’ve been holding off for some years,” said Richard Waters, principal engineer at Lincolnshire County Council, “Once the bypass is open we would hope drivers will seek alternative routes into and out of the city to reduce congestion across the bridge.”
Estimates by the local authority for the bridge repair works are for £700,000, but further design and site supervision fees are expected to bring the total bill for the scheme to £770,000. The project will be paid for from the county council’s capital budget, funded by the Department for Transport ’s highways asset protection grant.
The bridge will not be completely closed, as some lanes will remain open during the works, but this will be an expected cause of congestion. The footpath on the bridge, however, will be closed, and pedestrians will be diverted o the High Street to cross the train tracks at the level crossing.
Further works are planned to take place to repair the damage done by the water to the bridge piers at a later date, however, Mr Waters said this work needed to be completed first. The Pelham Bridge scheme is due to start in January 2021 and last for four months.
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