£5m bridge restoration work to start in summer
STRUCTURE WILL BE CLOSED TO MOTORISTS DURING REVAMP
MAJOR restoration works on one of Grimsby’s most well-known bridges has been approved with work set to start in late July or August this year, once a contractor has been appointed.
Corporation Bridge, part of Corporation Road, is in need of vital refurbishment and North East Lincolnshire Council hopes the coming maintenance will help to protect it for many years to come.
Work will include structural and aesthetic changes and go some way to protecting its heritage status.
It is thought the work will take 18 months to complete, during which time the bridge will remain closed to motorists with a number of diversion routes put in place.
However, it will still be open for pedestrians and cyclists, apart from times where the lifting mechanisms need to be tested.
The work is essential to retain the Grade 2 listed status of the building and will cost nearly £5 million. The scheme is funded by the Department of Transport (£2.967m), North East Lincolnshire Council (£1.83m) and the Local Transport Fund (£170,000).
The plans were first submitted back in August 2020 with the original start date set to be spring last year. Since then, the date was moved to January this year, but finally looks set to start this summer.
When asked why this was, NELC said: “Unexpected delays in the contracting process” had halted proceedings.
There have also been numerous attempts to lift the bridge to test the mechanisms, but debris, rising water levels and a number of other issues sadly stopped this from happening a number of times recently.
In November last year, the bridge was lifted successfully to allow contractors to get a better view of the underside of this famous Grimsby landmark.