The Iron Bridge project is indeed suffering delays. The reasons behind this are as explained in the last entry in our project diary posted in October.
Problems arose following discovery of some unexpected features on the cast iron bridge that had been hidden by the Bailey bridge foundations and the decking and fill on top of the bridge. These features are cast iron up-stands at the abutments and at the centre of the bridge that clashed with the proposed design for the modern intervention that will house the re-routed gas main and carry the new parapets required to meet present day safety standards.
Since these features were discovered there has been a great deal of development and discussion regarding the design, which has hampered further progress on site.
Finding solutions that avoid cutting these unexpected features, whilst also ensuring that the cast iron bridge remains an integral part of the load bearing structure, has been difficult. In addition, we have had to adjust the design to avoid cutting the bases of the stone domes or removing any of the existing abutments. This has been driven by our desire to leave the existing fabric of the bridge completely intact and untouched. It would have been much easier to develop a solution by allowing all these features to be cut or removed but this is against the principals we have applied throughout the project.
We believe that we have now established acceptable solutions that meet all our criteria but we are currently awaiting final design drawings to confirm that it all works. We have had so many false starts on the design work throughout the life of the project that we were waiting for the confirmation before making any further updates.
We expect to receive the final design drawings before Christmas but we do not expect much more work to be done on site this year. It is more likely that work will restart in earnest in the New Year. I would estimate that this means the project will now not be complete until around March 2008 but this is only an educated guess. We expect that the contractor will identify a firmer completion date when he prepares an updated schedule once the final design is made available to him. We will update the diary when we have any new information, as we always do.
Regarding installation of the Bailey bridge across the river as a temporary measure, schemes like this were considered but discarded due to technical, environmental, safety and cost issues. It was felt that the best and safest option causing least environmental damage would be a straightforward closure of the bridge for the period of restoration. The Council’s Rights of Way Officer had the key input to this decision and we supported him in this.
Regarding specifically re-using the Bailey bridge for this purpose, it would have needed substantial foundations on either bank even if it were long enough, which it is not. It would also have needed significant landscape changes on both banks to provide safe access for all pedestrians, cyclists, disabled people and horse riders. All these landscape works and foundations would have destroyed the character and stability of the riverbanks and would have been very difficult to reinstate afterwards. If that wasn’t enough, users would still have to access it through the construction compound, which would not be safe.
The closure is certainly inconvenient for people living in Compstall and everyone else who might wish to use the bridge but the long term benefits of restoring this important historic structure have surely got to be worth it. Having got as far as we have, and we are now well into our seventh year, it would be a shame to make a poor job of it. The delays are therefore an unfortunate consequence of our determination to do the job as well as possible and I can assure you that NOBODY is as frustrated as we are by the time and effort it has taken to (hopefully) resolve the difficulties that we have encountered and reach a satisfactory solution.
I hope this answers your query for now and as soon as we have any firm information we will share it with everyone in the project diary in the usual way.
