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Corporation Bridge across Alexandra Dock in Grimsby
”The bridge is a piece of history.’’ – Councillor Stewart Swinburn, Portfolio Holder for Environment and Transport
Map drawing of the A180 bridge structures
The three bridges across the A180 carry an estimated 27,000 vehicles across each day.
Opened by Edward VIII in 1928, Corporation Road Bridge is Grimsby’s link to an uncrowned king.
The original plans for the A180 bridges were passed in 1963, and some parts are over 115 years old.
Work progresses on Corporation Bridge as removal of timber joists to the lifting section completed.
Corporation Road Bridge is a Grade II Listed structure of great historical importance.
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Live roadwork and road closure information

Use the interactive map to find details of road closures, roadworks, travel updates and live traffic congestion in North East Lincolnshire. Please note all dates are suggestions and are subject to change.

Corporation Road Bridge major restoration

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.

Historic photograph of the opening of Corporation Bridge
19th July 1928: Corporation Bridge opening
Historic photograph of the opening of Corporation Bridge
Crowds watching the visit of the Prince of Wales to Grimsby, July 19th 1928 to open the new Corporation Bridge. The two trawlers are the Dargle (nearest the camera) and the Seriema.
Historic photograph of Edward VIII and other dignitaries at the opening of Corporation Bridge
Visit of the Prince of Wales to Grimsby, July 19th 1928. Presentation of the scissors to cut the ribbon to open the new Corporation Bridge.
Historic photograph of Edward VIII and other dignitaries at the opening of Corporation Bridge
19th July 1928: Prince Edward, Prince of Wales unveiling the commemorative plaque on Corporation Bridge during the opening ceremony. View here is looking towards Freeport Wharf and Victoria Street.
Historic photograph of Edward VIII and other dignitaries at the opening of Corporation Bridge
19th July 1928: Prince Edward, Prince of Wales, and the Mayor of Grimsby, Councillor K Osmond in a Daimler Double Six touring car. They are passing over the newly opened Corporation Bridge after its official opening and are on their way to the Town Hall for lunch.
Historic photograph of Edward VIII and other dignitaries at the opening of Corporation Bridge
19th July 1928: Prince Edward, Prince of Wales inspecting the Guard of Honour of minesweepers and veterans of the First World War during the official opening ceremony of Corporation Bridge.
Historic photograph of Edward VIII at the opening of Corporation Bridge
19th July 1928: Edward, Prince of Wales climbing up to the control cabin of Corporation Bridge during the opening ceremony.

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.

A message from Councillor Swinburn about Corporation Road Bridge

Portfolio Holder for Environment and Transport

A180 bridges project

The works on the A180 bridges will start with Gilbey Road bridge, then Cleethorpes Flyover, followed by Alexandra Dock Bridge. There will be works taking place on both carriageways of each bridge, which will be completed in phases.  

The works will include deck repairs, bearing replacements, re-waterproofing, installation of concrete and steel safety barriers and carriageway resurfacing.

The main project will involve the removal of the existing carriageway surface to get to the lower layers and start repairs. Noise reduction measures are being put in place, but these will not completely mask the sound of the works.

Extra lighting will also be brought in for the project, which will remain on through the night for the workers safety.

The A180 bridge works began on 26 February. The first stage is advance work to open part of Gilbey road flyover, to allow space for traffic to be diverted as the project takes place.

Below is a provisional timeline for the start of project and the roads that will be affected. Please be aware, this information is subject to change.

Weeks 1-2:

  • Underneath Gilbey Road Flyover: contractor compound set up on the cyclepath.
  • Crossover creation on Gilbey Road Flyover (overnight closures 8pm to 6am – localised diversion)

Weeks 2-3

  • Gilbey Road Flyover Traffic in contraflow 24/7. Speed restriction: 30mph
  • Alexandra Dock Bridge: overnight lane restriction on a single night to allow for “window survey”. Speed restriction during work.
  • Cleethorpe Road Bridge: overnight lane restriction on a single night to allow for “window survey”. Speed restriction during work.

The main project has now started (March) with the Gilbey Road flyover. Gilbey Road flyover is the key bridge between the A180 dual carriageway from Great Coates and Pyewipe Roundabout. Work on the other two bridges will follow.

These structural works must take place to make sure the main road into Grimsby and Cleethorpes can safely carry traffic in the decades ahead.

Regular inspections and condition reports have shown deterioration of the bridges and the underlying structures over recent years. Whilst there is no danger right now, the analysis shows this work is essential to make sure the bridges can continue to stand for the long-term.

Ensuring this work is done is critical to the traffic in North East Lincolnshire. As a central route, the road connects not only residents to their homes, workplaces, and leisure activities, but also lorries and fish workers to their businesses, traffic to the offshore wind operations base, tourists to their holiday destinations, and static homes to their sites in Humberston.

There will be signage around North East Lincolnshire with up-to-date information and diversion routes to help you on your journey.

Any full closures are being done at night when they are required. Localised diversion routes are put into place.

During the day traffic is being directed into one lane, allowing one side of the flyover to be worked on at once to minimise the disruption. During the main works on each structure, there will be lane restrictions, with overnight closures and reduced running speed being put in place to make the working area safe.

North East Lincolnshire Council presented a case to the Department for Transport (DfT) for support to make sure the three A180 bridges receive the attention they need.

£8m of funding was secured with the DfT recognising the importance of this road for North East Lincolnshire’s economic and visitor growth in the future. Without these funds, the bridges’ future would be in doubt with the risk of them being completely closed in the years ahead. This would lead to far more serious problems for the traffic along the road.

The funding does need to be spent by Spring 2025 and therefore there was no choice but to start the work in early 2024. If that had not been done, then the funding was at risk – and that would have meant the council having to find £8m from elsewhere. Therefore, delay was not an option.

The A180 bridge works are being paid for with £8m of funding from the Department for Transport, but as said above, this funding has a deadline, having to be spent by spring 2025.

The repair and restoration work to Corporation Road Bridge was expected to be completed by December 2023, however, assessments carried out by engineers found that the condition of the 100-year-old structure is worse than initially thought. This meant that the works had to be extended to include further repair work, which has caused the schedules of both bridge projects to overlap.

Information about the works is being shared on North East Lincolnshire Council’s website and social media platforms. The platforms will continue to share up-to-date information and updates about the work taking place.

For information about the roadworks and road closures, there is signage around the areas that will be affected.

Bargate highway and bridges project

Junction at bargate in Grimsby

The upcoming works to the junction of Bargate/Dudley Street and Deansgate/Church Lane are vital to prevent serious problems developing in the future.

The scheme is being funded through the Local Transport Plan, which needs to be spent before March 2025. This means the work will start in July when the schools are on holiday, with completion expected in the autumn.

For more information, go to the Bargate Q&A (Word, 21KB) .

Related websites

InvestNEL | Grimsby developments

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Bargate highway and junction

Planned roadworks

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Contact details

Project Management Team, Municipal Offices, Town Hall Sq, Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, DN31 1HU

Email: [email protected]

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Email: [email protected]

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