Construction work on Cumbria County Council’s project for a replacement structure at Pooley Bridge has taken a significant step forward.
The first sections of steelwork for the new bridge have been delivered on site at Pooley Bridge and the new structure will now start taking shape on the ground.
Cumbria County Council is investing £5m in the replacement bridge project, which will be the first stainless steel road bridge of its kind in the UK. Work on the project continues to progress well, both on and off site.
The bridge is being fabricated in four separate quarter sections, at a factory in Lancashire, and the first two sections have now been transported to the village, where they will be assembled on the river bank. The bridge once fully fabricated will have taken about 13,000 ‘man hours’ to create.
This is an exciting time for the project as local residents and visitors to Pooley Bridge will now be able to see first-hand the new bridge being built near the river before the final completed structure is craned into position over the River Eamont later this year.
Cllr Keith Little, Cumbria County Council Cabinet member for Highways and Transport, said: “I’m delighted the first sections of steelwork for the replacement bridge at Pooley Bridge have safely arrived on site. This is a significant milestone for the project and work can now start on assembling the new structure on the ground. Local people and visitors will now be able to see the bridge start taking shape over the coming weeks. Pooley Bridge is very much open for business throughout construction and I would like to thank the local community for their patience and understanding.”
Eric Wright Civil Engineering Ltd is the Principal Contractor for the project. The new bridge is scheduled to be completed in Spring 2020.
