The Railway Magazine

Cambrian river bridge is lifted out of flood zone

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A BRIDGE on the Cambrian line, prone to flooding, has been lifted by a metre in an innovative £3.6 million project undertaken by Network Rail contractor­s AmcoGiffen.

Black Bridge spans the River Dulas and lies just under mile east of Machynllet­h. It has been closed 30 times in the last decade, 10 times in 2020 alone, for emergency repairs caused by flood water.

A total of 360 engineers clocked up more than 32,000 hours to deliver the project in six weeks, with the line reopening on June 28.

To ensure the 80-tonne bridge did not twist or buckle during the lift, engineers opted to use a block and chain method.

Eight 20-tonne chains were used in total, and for every 10 metres of chain pulled, the bridge was raised just 10mm.

Because the River Dulas is fish-spawning, there was a limited window to complete the project.

 ?? NETWORK RAIL ?? Black Bridge over the River Dulas, during the project to raise it by a metre.
NETWORK RAIL Black Bridge over the River Dulas, during the project to raise it by a metre.

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