December 2022 Update

Further testing and investigation work has taken place this month to verify and conclude the bridge assessment process.  Five of the critical parts that connect the suspension rods to the timber bridge deck were temporarily removed from the bridge and tested under laboratory conditions to confirm that their behaviour under load matches the theoretical behaviour and capacity that our Consultants have calculated. The wrought iron elements were carefully selected for testing to ensure we had a representative sample of the different shapes and sizes from across the bridge. When the bridge was originally constructed in the 1830s, manufacturing tolerances and quality control were not to the standards required today and therefore many of the parts of the bridge that have previously been assumed to be the same size are all slightly different which makes assessment, manufacturing and repairs challenging.  The variances in size of elements only became apparent following the initial phase of investigation and testing completed earlier in the year.

Initial results from the tests appear to confirm that the wrought iron elements behave in a favourable manner meaning that we can finally close out the majority of the issues with the assessment of the bridge with our external Consultant Engineers.  Various refurbishment options are currently under consideration, including preparation of cost estimates, to ensure the available budget for the works provides maximum benefit to the life and usability of the bridge.

Now that the assessment, testing and investigation elements of work are complete, the requirements and preliminary design for the refurbishment of the bridge are currently being considered by Pell Frischmann (Design Consultant) VolkerLaser (Specialist Contractor) and Blackett-Ord Conservation (Accredited Conservation Engineers).  They will work together to update the cost estimates and progress into a detailed design phase which will allow the programme to be finalised early in 2023 with a view for refurbishments to commence in summer 2023.