New update on the completion date of Grimsby's Corporation Bridge
There's already been over a year of restoration work
It's been revealed the restoration work for Grimsby's Corporation Bridge is 'likely' to be completed next summer.
It's been a year since work on the 100 year old bridge started - and was due to be completed by now
But North East Lincolnshire Council say when work was underway extensive deterioration to parts of it were uncovered with hundreds of repairs needed.
A further update will be issued in the autumn.
The Bridge is a historic landmark in the area
The 100-year old bridge is one of only 25-bascule lifting bridges remaining in England, and was opened by the Prince of Wales in 1925.
Engineers started on site in February 2023 with the planned work expected to last a year. However, after extensive deterioration was discovered after decades of rust and layers of paint had been removed, work to the structure is ongoing.
Initial surveys were carried out before the works began, and whilst they did identify that maintenance was needed, much of the deterioration remained hidden beneath layers of paint and steel and inaccessible parts of the structure.
Now, after an extensive survey was carried out by structural engineers, it's been found to be in good working order but that urgent maintenance is needed.
According to the survey report, the structure of the bridge remains strong thanks to an over-engineered design. It’s likely that the bridge was originally expected to carry trams, and this led to a reinforced design.
However, parts of the structure have become weaker after almost a century of exposure to salt-water spray, and have had to be repaired or completely replaced to prevent the need for future closures. Extra work was also found to be needed within the roadway itself with steel plates within the road construction layers also affected.
It's complex work to restore the bridge:
Once the extent of the work was identified, the schedule has been huge.
Here are details of the 886 individual repairs identified to date:
On the upper structure – 621 repairs
Below the structure there have been 237 repairs and these were all additional works to the substructure and therefore unforeseen at the start of the project
Control room – 28 repairs
Added to these repairs, it was found some steelwork had at some point been removed on the lifting span, span 4, meaning that this section has had to be re-designed altogether – something that is still in progress.
Because the bridge goes over a body of water, any work taking place to the structure also requires a licence from the national Marine Management Organisation. These licences come with strict conditions and are imposed to prevent risk of pollution to the water or dock whilst ensuring a steady flow of water to mitigate any possible impact on the ecosystem.
This is also why there is a tent encasing the bridge, which catches dust from shot-blasting. Licensing also dictates that scaffolding can only cover part of the channel at any one time so the waterflow is not significantly reduced. All of this slows down the work but is vital.
Since the project began, significant repair and restoration work has been carried out.
Most of the structure has now been shot-blasted. This is where small balls of material are blasted at a surface, effectively removing debris and smoothing the surface. In this project, shot-blasting has been used to remove decades of paint, rust and grime.
The bridge is comprised of 6 spans.
On spans 1, 2 and 3, most of the structure has been shot-blasted, and then primed. On these spans, painting is well-underway, and most of the steelwork repairs have been completed.
On span 4, most of the structure has been shot-blasted. There are some areas which require repairs, and these are currently being designed.
On spans 5 and 6, most of the shot-blasting above deck has been completed, along with any steel work, painting and priming.
The control room has seen the removal of asbestos, with the external roof and walls being repaired.
What work is left to be done on the bridge?
On spans 1, 2 and 3, there are some steelwork repairs remaining, along with priming and painting. There are also some areas requiring heritage restoration finishing and masonry repairs.
On span 4, the area behind the lifting span requires shot-blasting, before being primed and painted.
There is also work to be done to design and replace the steel lifting span, and to recondition the lifting span mechanism.
Spans 5 and 6 require shot-blasting to the lower deck, further repairs to the steelwork, priming and painting.
Steelwork repairs continue on the control room, with internal works, window refurbishment, mechanical and electrical works ongoing.
Additionally, there are further works required to the structure as a whole, including the reconstruction of the highway, the installation of new street lighting, signage and lining.
As this work continues the determination remains to preserve this bridge for future generations.
Councillor Stewart Swinburn, portfolio holder for housing, infrastructure and transport at North East Lincolnshire Council said:
“There’s no denying that this has been a complex project with numerous challenges. We’ve had to navigate some significant issues to try to get this bridge back to how it would have looked almost 100-years ago.
“We’re also clear that we’re not there yet. There is still work to be done and I know that this is not ideal, however this is the situation we are in, and we will continue this work. This council recognises the importance of this bridge to Grimsby’s heritage and remains determined to ensure it stands strong and proud in the future. Such significant projects are never easy and rarely straightforward, but we will not shirk from our responsibility to ensure such an important heritage asset is restored.”
His words are echoed by Alan Nicholson, the chair of the Grimsby, Cleethorpes & District Civic Society, who added:
“Corporation Road Bridge is an iconic structure, and a well-known feature in the town. It is an asset to the town. We are pleased to support this work to restore part of our industrial heritage.”
Due to the extensive additional work required to replace parts of the steel structure, costs have increased.
Cllr Swinburn added: “People have said that a new bridge could have been built instead but actually that’s not true. This structure is a Grade II listed structure, so can’t just be torn down, and you only have to look at new bridge projects up and down England in recent years to see that even footbridges are not cheap or quick projects.
“I completely understand the frustration of people and I want to reassure them that we are working as quickly as possible to get this project over the line.”
“Whilst I really want to give an exact completion date, I can’t do that at this stage. There’s a lot of work remaining, and any delays in sourcing materials, or designing sections of steel could impact that.
“We can say that it is likely to be completed next summer, and we’ll be issuing an update on the works in the autumn.
“Having seen sections of the bridge which have been restored, I can say that once the work has been completed and the wrapping removed, the bridge will look fantastic.
“I know that among our residents there is a real love for this bridge, with lots of people having some very cherished memories of it, and I hope that, once fully restored, it’ll earn a place in the hearts of future generations.”
We're told 'lessons will be learnt' from the project
North East Lincolnshire Council say:
"The initial timeline for this scheme did not allow for the complexities that emerged with the repair of a heritage structure, spanning a sensitive ecosystem.
"Many of these complexities could not have been foreseen, however the project could have benefitted from clearer communication at the start about how the duration of the works could extend if additional defects were identified once the work had started.
"Additionally, future consideration will be made around pre-assessment surveys to give as clear an idea as possible of the risks and challenges before a project starts. "