Plans are in place to build a new temporary road bridge
to replace one of Cumbria’s ‘washed away’ bridges, just weeks after
devastating floods hit the county.
Workington has not had any road access across the River Derwent,
which splits the town in two, since the November floods destroyed
the local Calva and Northside Bridges.
The construction of this bridge will be a vital step in reuniting the town and will make life easier for local residents and businesses alike
Capita Symonds has been working with Cumbria County Council
since the floods hit to design and procure a temporary road
bridge.
The rapid procurement process, which took just over eight weeks,
has led to the appointment of contractor Morgan Est to build the
new two-lane, 350-tonne bridge which will be paid for with up to
£4.6 million of funding from the Department for Transport.
The 67-metre long, 12-metre wide structure, which is expected to
be open by the end of May this year, will be shipped from Holland
and parts of the UK to be assembled on site, around 200 metres east
of the former Northside Bridge.
The first phase of work is to dig the foundations for the bridge
and drive down the steel abutment piles which will house the
concrete foundations. An estimated 500 tonnes of concrete will be
needed for the project, with a further 900 tonnes of tarmac needed
for the bridge surface and approach roads.
Capita Symonds has continued to develop the concept design
during the procurement process. The aim is now to novate that
design - and the design team - to the successful Contractor under a
Design and Construct contract. The Contractor will co-locate in
Capita Symonds’ Carlisle office in February to maximise the
buildability of the design and minimise risk.
Transport Minister Sadiq Khan MP said: "Today’s
announcement is great news for the people of Workington. The
construction of this bridge will be a vital step in reuniting the
town and will make life easier for local residents and businesses
alike. I am also delighted to be able to announce that the
Government will be giving Cumbria £4.6 million to cover the
material and construction costs of this bridge.
"The Government is committed to helping the people of Cumbria
recover from the devastation caused by last year’s flooding and has
already funded the Barker Crossing as well as providing additional
rail services to provide vital links across the river at
Workington. We have also supported Cumbria County Council in
prioritising their recovery programme by paying for the cost of
supplementary short-term project
management resources. We will continue to work with the council to
identify what further funding is required to restore the area’s
critical infrastructure."
Cllr Jim Buchanan, Leader of Cumbria County
Council, said: "We have been working on this project since the
floods first hit - planning the best place to put the bridge,
drawing up potential designs, surveying the geography of the area,
working up traffic management plans and going through the tendering
and procurement process. So today is a key day in that we have a
contractor confirmed to do the work. In the meantime, we have also
been working on plans for two permanent replacement road bridges in
Workington, which we're aiming to deliver within the next two
years, as well as our plans to repair or replace the other damaged
bridges in Allerdale and South Lakeland. The temporary Workington
bridge is a vital part of the jigsaw we're building to restore the
transport infrastructure in west Cumbria."
David Knight, Director, Capita Symonds, said:
“Capita Symonds is delighted to have been able to assist Cumbria
County Council in procuring a Contractor in a little over two
months. To have done so, within current procurement rules, is a
testament to the hard work of our team and a very positive response
from the industry as a whole.”