Tamar Bridge works suspended over bank holiday weekend
Four lanes will be open to traffic, as one phase of the repairs finishes five days ahead of schedule
Last updated 26th Aug 2021
Four lanes will be open to traffic on the Tamar Bridge over the bank holiday weekend
Major resurfacing works are underway on all decks and cantilevers.
However officials have confirmed repairs on the north half of the main deck are due to be completed on Thursday evening (26th August), five days ahead of schedule.
That means four lanes will be operating from Friday afternoon until Monday evening, two eastbound and two westbound, to cope with the predicted influx of visitors to Devon and Cornwall, without delaying the remaining works.
This will not delay the scheme as work on the south half of the deck will begin, as scheduled, on Tuesday 31st August.
“We are delighted that we will be able to provide four traffic lanes on the bridge over the bank holiday weekend” said Councillors Martin Worth and Jonathan Drean, the Joint Chairs of the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee.
“We know that this summer has been particularly busy as many more people than usual have chosen to visit Cornwall as a result of the overseas travel restrictions caused by COVID. We are also very aware of the significant impact of the resurfacing works on local residents, commuters, bus and coach companies and the haulage industry and are continuing to do everything we can to minimise disruption.
“Our contractor has worked hard to complete this current phase in time for what is likely to be an extremely busy weekend. The opening of the additional lane will enable the control room staff to respond to any incidents or accidents on the bridge more quickly, reducing traffic build up and potential delays".
Nathan Wakfer, senior project manager for VolkerLaser, said “We are pleased to be in a position where we can complete this phase earlier than programmed in order to free up an additional running lane for Tamar control during what is predicted to be a busy weekend”.
How will the next phase of works affect the Tamar Bridge?
Traffic management arrangements for the south side of the deck will now be introduced on the evening of Monday 30th August so that they are in place for the contractor to start work on Tuesday morning.
The next phase will see the westbound lane and centre lane on the main deck closed to traffic, with the remaining lane used as the tidal flow lane to help manage traffic flows.
The north cantilever will continue to be used for eastbound traffic from Cornwall and for local Saltash traffic, with lane 7 on the toll plaza acting as a tag only lane as normal. The south cantilever will remain open for westbound traffic travelling from Plymouth into Cornwall. The shuttle bus service will continue to operate as normal.
As the move onto to south side of the deck and the associated traffic management arrangements will be unfamiliar to many users, we ask that drivers pay particular attention to the new lane layouts, traffic signs and prevailing traffic conditions.