16/8/2011 - Photo opportunity: Work starts on new Workington road bridge : Cumbria County Council

Construction work has started this week on the replacement for Northside road bridge in Workington, which was destroyed in the floods of November 2009.

Cumbria County Council's contractor carrying out the work, Birse Civils, moved onto the site yesterday (Monday August 15) to set up new site offices and begin work on test bore holes.

Media are invited to a 'sod cutting' photo opportunity featuring Cllr John Woolley, Chairman of Cumbria County Council, to mark the start of work tomorrow (Wednesday August 17) at 1pm (details below in Notes for Editors).

The construction programme is scheduled to be completed in August 2012, with the new bridge expected to be open to traffic in mid-June 2012. The new bridge will span 152m over the River Derwent and the positioning of the new steel beams over the river is scheduled to take place in December.

The three-span structure is supported on concrete piers and will be clad in sandstone, similar to that used on the original bridge. Where possible reclaimed stone from the original structure will be used.

Associated works include service diversions, retaining walls and roadworks to connect the new bridge to Workington's existing road network. Once the new permanent bridge is open to the public, the temporary road bridge that was built in 72 days and opened in April 2010 will be closed and removed by the contractors Morgan Sindall.

Building the new bridge has been made possible thanks to £11.17 million funding from the Department for Transport. The design of the bridge has been shaped and supported by local people. The three span structure will carry vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists on a similar alignment to that of the previous Northside bridge.

Cllr Tony Markley, Cumbria County Council’s cabinet member for highways and economic development, said:

"It's great to see work starting on the new bridge and we hope it will be open for use early next summer. With last week's lifting in of the new Navvies footbridge, the progress that is being made on restoring and improving the transport infrastructure in Workington following the floods is there for all to see. It's taken a massive effort to get to where we are today and I have every faith in Birse Civils' ability to deliver a great new bridge for the town of Workington."

Norman Baker MP, Local and Regional Transport Minister, said:

"When I visited Cumbria earlier this year, I saw first hand the devastation that the November 2009 floods caused to the area. This new bridge which is being funded by the Government will bring long-term benefits for all those travelling in the area and will connect vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists onto the existing road network.

"This is good news for all concerned and is another step in restoring the infrastructure for the town of Workington and further afield in other damaged areas of the county. I look forward to seeing this bridge completed and open for traffic."