Devon County Council reopens lane on Exeter's A379 Bridge Road after essential repairs
The lane on Exeter's A379 Bridge Road has reopened following essential repairs, but drivers face continued disruption as a separate closure on the adjacent Swing Bridge remains in place.
A closed lane on Exeter's A379 Bridge Road has reopened following essential repairs, but drivers face continued disruption as a separate closure on the adjacent Swing Bridge remains in place.
The lane on the Bascule Bridge reopened on Tuesday, 15 September, after specialist contractors carried out repairs to age-related damage beneath the bridge deck. The lane had been closed since Monday, 17 August, after an inspection identified problems with fixings beneath the aluminium deck. Further investigations then uncovered cracks and more extensive corrosion that could not be seen from the road surface.
However, an emergency lane closure introduced on the Swing Bridge on Monday, 14 September, will remain in place for longer. The closure was brought in after some fixings in the road surface became loose. Attempts to tighten them were unsuccessful because the parts holding them within the concrete were also moving, and engineers ruled out welding the bolts because this would not provide a lasting repair.
A specialist contractor has been booked to carry out further work overnight on Wednesday, 23 September, using an alternative method to make the fixings safe. The lane closure will remain until this work is completed.
The Swing Bridge closure will continue to affect traffic heading towards Marsh Barton from Countess Wear, and drivers are advised to allow additional time for their journeys.
Councillor Dan Thomas, Devon County Council's cabinet member for highways, said: "We are pleased to be reopening the Bascule Bridge lane after our engineers and specialist contractors completed this essential work as quickly as it could safely be carried out.
"We know the closure caused delays, particularly at peak times, and are grateful to everyone for their patience. We also understand that people will be disappointed that the separate lane closure on the Swing Bridge must remain.
"Our engineers have ruled out a repair that would not last, and a specialist contractor will carry out further work next week. We will remove the lane closure as soon as the fixings have been made safe.
"Although the Bascule Bridge lane has reopened, these repairs are not a long-term solution to the challenges posed by an ageing bridge. We will continue to monitor both structures closely and carry out further work when needed."
The 54-year-old Bascule Bridge is a working lifting bridge, opened around 30 times a year to allow boats to travel along the Exeter Ship Canal. Its design brings steel support beams and fixings into contact with the aluminium deck, which can lead to galvanic corrosion, a recognised issue with bridges of this type.
The neighbouring Swing Bridge is older still, built in 1936 with supporting beams made from steel plates held together by rivets. In May 1944, British soldiers used it and the nearby Countess Wear Bridge to rehearse capturing the Pegasus and Horsa bridges ahead of the D-Day landings in Normandy.
With both structures operating beyond their expected lifespans, Devon County Council consulted earlier this year on proposals to replace them. Engineers will continue to inspect and monitor the existing bridges in the meantime.