[C]umbria County Council is to invest in the region of £4.5m in a major programme of maintenance works on Jubilee Bridge in Barrow.
The investment will secure the future of Jubilee Bridge, which requires significant maintenance works including re-waterproofing the bridge deck and the repair and repainting of the steel structure.
Carrying out essential maintenance works now will extend the life of the bridge by addressing the deteriorating condition of structural steelwork.
Cumbria County Council has appointed Story Contracting Ltd as the main contractor for the project and plans to carry out the Jubilee Bridge works in two phases:
- Phase one – June to September 2018 – Re-waterproof all of the bridge deck
- Phase two – April 2019 to January 2020 – Steelwork repairs and painting to all steelwork over full length of the bridge.
The county council is working closely with Story Contracting to minimise disruption to local residents and businesses during the works programme on Jubilee Bridge.
Works will take place on the bridge during both day and night during this period. Two lanes of traffic will be maintained on the bridge in the daytime and it is anticipated the works will have only a limited impact on journey times. It will be necessary to introduce traffic controls with a single lane at night-time when less traffic uses the bridge. Jubilee Bridge will continue to operate as normal for marine vessels using Walney Channel.
Councillor Keith Little, Cumbria County Council Cabinet member for Highways and Transport, said: “Significant maintenance work is needed on Jubilee Bridge to ensure it remains fit for purpose. Inspections have shown the current waterproofing of the bridge deck is failing and as a result water is seeping through the concrete deck and corroding the steel superstructure. The county council recognises the vital strategic importance of Jubilee Bridge and we will be investing millions of pounds from our capital programme to secure its future.”
Councillor Bill McEwan, Chair of Cumbria County Council’s Barrow Highways Advisory Sub-Group, said: “Jubilee Bridge is an absolutely vital link between Barrow and Walney Island, so I’m delighted the county council is able to make a huge investment to ensure this major refurbishment work can go ahead. Some disruption for road users will be inevitable but we have no option than to do these works, otherwise the fabric of the bridge will deteriorate even further which could result in lane or weight restrictions. I would encourage everyone who travels along Jubilee Bridge to start planning ahead now and allows extra time for their journeys.”
Jubilee Bridge measures 350m in length, making it Cumbria’s longest bridge. It carries up to 24,000 vehicles a day and provides the only mainland crossing to Walney Island.
The council is also organising three public drop-in events week commencing 21 May. These will be held in Walney, Barrow Island, and Barrow town centre to provide an update to the public on the Barrow Waterfront Project and to listen to community feedback. Details, including the time and location of each event will be confirmed next week.
