Burway Bridge Replacement Ludlow, Shropshire, United Kingdom

The original Burway Bridge collapsed on 27 June 2007, severing a gas main, due to exceptionally heavy flooding in the area when the River Corve rose 1.6m in around three hours. The collapse left a 16m-wide gap in the main road into Ludlow, which was a major problem as this was the main route into the town.

The work to clear the remains of the old bridge was completed by the end of July 2007. A temporary 31.5ft Bailey bridge, hired by Shropshire County Council, was put in place under the necessary weight restrictions until a new solution could be put into action. This temporary bridge had single-lane traffic controlled by lights and a footpath.

The temporary bridge was built on the road to the north of the river. It was then pushed out over the river to sit on new concrete foundations.

The temporary structure is approximately 1.2m above the existing road so ramps had to be built up to it before it could be opened to traffic. The B4361 was finally reopened to traffic on 8 August 2007, six weeks after the collapse of the old bridge.

A new and improved bridge was planned and following finalisation of the design and a public consultation during March 2008 the project to build the new improved bridge started on 14 April 2008. The expected completion date is December 2008. The new bridge, alongside the hire of the temporary bridge, is expected to cost a total of around £900,000.

BRIDGE DESIGN

The new dual-lane road bridge will have a span of 21m across the River Corve, which is twice as long as the old bridge, and will re-establish the B4361–Coronation Avenue into the centre of the town of Ludlow.

The new bridge was designed by the technical department of the Environment Agency with the help of geotechnical consultants who have established bore holes along the river bank where the bridge will be constructed to determine the portioning and specification of the foundations required.

The new bridge will be constructed in the second part of 2008 along with the placement of flood defence measures including 1,000t of boulders set into the river bed to protect the bank from further erosion. The B4361 will be closed from 21 April 2008 to the end of September for work on building the new bridge to be carried out.

John Williams, the principal bridge engineer for Shropshire County Council commented: "It is appreciated that the work will cause some inconvenience and disruption and that some people are naturally concerned.

"We will do all that we reasonably can to keep the road closure to a minimum and open the road early. We will also be erecting signs on the approaches to both Ludlow and the bridge advertising that businesses in Ludlow remain open for business as usual."

NEW BRIDGE

The new bridge was designed by the Environment Agency with increased strength and with the foundations set further back on the river bank for increased support. The BT services and the gas main were secured after the flood had damaged them and they will be reinstated in the new bridge as required.

The contractor for the construction of the new bridge is McPhilips, as appointed by Shropshire County Council. Other contractors involved will include Transco (gas main), National Grid (electricity) and BT (telecoms).