Corporation Road Bridge major restoration
Major restoration work to Corporation Road Bridge started in 2022.
The full refurbishment includes key structural works, as well as improvements to the aesthetic changes to the bridge – protecting the landmark for many years to come and preserve its heritage status.
Once the project started, engineers discovered far more deterioration than initial work had uncovered. This meant that an assessment had to be carried out across the entire structure to consider what further work was required to secure the structure and restore it to full working condition.
As part of its Grade 2 listed heritage status, it is important the bridge remains functioning and the mechanics are in full operation to ensure the council is satisfying the statutory obligations.
The work is expected to continue until Summer 2025.
Multi-disciplinary bridge works specialist Spencer Group is the contractor for the scheme.
A full road closure to vehicles has been in place since the start of the works. Diversion routes are clearly signed. The bridge remains open to pedestrians and cyclists, except during short periods when work is likely to obstruct access to the pavements. In this instance, notice will be given in advance.
Initially the Corporation Bridge refurbishment was a £5.117m scheme – funded by £2.967m from the Department for Transport, £1.83m set aside by the council and a further £320,000 from the Local Transport Fund. The Department for Transport funding was specifically ringfenced for these works.
Additional costs from the extended works required on this project have not yet been published due to commercial sensitivity.
If you have any queries about the scheme, please email [email protected]
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Corporation Bridge is a Grade II listed structure, which means that it’s of ‘notable architectural or historical interest or importance’ and is protected by law against undesirable changes.
Because of this, North East Lincolnshire Council has a statutory duty to make sure the bridge remains functioning, and the mechanics are in full operation, including being able to lift.
Without this work taking place, the road that the bridge is part of could be closed in future years as Corporation Road Bridge would be declared unsafe. This would cause more traffic disruption for longer.
When the works are complete the heritage structure will be preserved for generations.
The bridge is completely closed to vehicles, and the road closures and diversion routes will continue to be signposted, including at Lockhill roundabout, Westgate roundabout, Victoria Street South and at the Corporation Road/Pyewipe Road junction.
We’re asking residents, where possible, to avoid busy times or look for alternative routes.
The bridge remains open to pedestrians and cyclists, except during short periods when work needs to be carried out in those areas. When a full closure is planned to take place, North East Lincolnshire Council’s social media and website will provide updates so you can plan your journey.
The full refurbishment includes key structural works and improvements to the appearance of the bridge. Some of the works include:
- Replacement of all corroded rivets
- Replacing steel deck plates
- Steelwork repairs
- Replacing deteriorating carriageway panels
- Replacing bridge bearings
- Removing failing paint system from entire structure and repaint
- Replacing electrical system for the lifting mechanism
- Restoring the Control Room
- Replacement of bridge joints
- Resurfacing carriageway and footpath
Funding from the Department for Transport (DfT) has been specifically ringfenced for these works, alongside Council capital spend and the Local Transport Fund.
The Department for Transport recognise the importance of Corporation Road Bridge for both the heritage and transport routes for North East Lincolnshire and their funding has been specifically ringfenced for these works.
To work out what work was needed, initial visual inspections were carried out by other contractors on the bridge in 2018 before the major restoration works began.
However, only when full access was available and the paintwork was stripped to the bare steel was the Principal Contractor, Spencer Group, able to fully understand the severity of the bridge’s condition. The environment is rough below the bridge and areas have been exposed to the elements over the years, which means the beams underneath are in a much worse condition than originally projected.
Because of this, the project has had to be extended so engineers can carry out the required work to make sure Corporation Road Bridge will continue to stand for another 100 years and beyond.
We are working to get the bridge work completed as soon as possible. However, as with any such project, work does not start and finish overnight. This is certainly the case with historic structures like Corporation Road Bridge, as the work is extremely time-consuming and complicated.
There are some restrictions on what work can be carried out at once. Under the conditions of the Marine Management Office (MMO) License, engineers can only work on certain sections of the bridge at once.
Work to the underside of the structure is also limited to periods of low tide.
As previously mentioned, the original time frame of the project had to be amended when the bridge condition was found to be much worse than initially thought. Engineers are now carrying out detailed assessments under the fabric of the bridge to find out what further work is required.
We’ll provide further updates once we know more about the overall condition of the bridge.
The repair and restoration work to Corporation Road Bridge were expected to be completed by December 2023, however, assessments carried out by engineers working on the bridge found that the 100-year-old structure had deteriorated extensively. This meant that the works had to be extended to include further repair work.
The A180 bridge work is being supported with £8m of funding from the Department for Transport. However, this funding has a deadline, having to be spent by spring 2025. This meant that the work had to start in early 2024. Failure to do so would have put the £8m funding at risk, meaning the council would have had to find that significant sum from elsewhere.
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