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Britain is full of historic structures that give the country its charm and character. However, over time, buildings, roads and bridges start to deteriorate, which means they need regular repairs to keep them strong and able to serve their purpose.
For this reason, bridge repair companies have been in high demand recently to ensure these important structures are mended before they break completely, so Brits can continue to use them and travel where they need to go.
Here are just some of the repair jobs taking place all over the UK.
– Manchester motorway bridge
One of the most impressive projects that have been revealed lately is repairing a 200-metre long bridge in Manchester.
The second phase of repair work on the structure, which carries the M60 over the River Mersey and Palatine Road near the south Manchester area of Didsbury, began earlier this month.
It involved lifting the motorway by five millimetres to enable the work to repair 15 concrete columns that supports the M60 bridge to take place.
Having been originally constructed using reinforced concrete in the 1970s, some of the steel inside the bridge has started to rust. The government revealed 44 remotely-operated hydraulic jacks will lift the 800-tonne motorway, and once this has occurred, contractors will be able to repair the columns.
Project manager at Highways England Mark Mosley said after nearly 50 years the structure is beginning to “show its age”.
“We’ll be using teams of specialists to lift up the motorway by a few millimetres and then carry out concrete repairs to the bridge columns, and will be able to keep the road open to drivers throughout the project,” he stated, adding this will enable tens of thousands of drivers to continue to use it every day.
– Hammersmith Bridge
One of west London’s most famous structures, Hammersmith Bridge, could receive repairs, if an independent candidate for mayor of the capital is elected.
City AM reported that Rory Stewart stated he will guarantee funding for the repairs if he becomes mayor, promising to underwrite the cost from Transport for London’s (TfL) capital account during his first week in office.
The bridge has been closed to drivers since April 2019 due to “critical faults”, which Mr Stewart says is “causing misery for Londoners”.
A design for a temporary bridge for pedestrians and cyclists to run alongside Hammersmith Bridge has been released by TfL, but this would mean it would be closed while these repairs were being carried out.
Mr Stewart added that this structure should be used by emergency services too.
– Daisy Hill Bridge in Bolton
A railway bridge in Westhoughton could also be repaired if the Department for Transport approves an application for finance from Bolton Council.
The local authority has asked for £2.5 million to resurface the structure at the railway station in Leigh Road, Bolton News reported.
However, if this scheme is given the go ahead, it would result in the main road being closed for four months and commuters having to take a long 3.5-mile detour during this time.
