One of the largest horse-drawn railway bridges in Britain has been fully restored to safety after nine months’ work, reports New Civil Engineer.
image: Blaenau Gwent Council website
… a bit of a challenge cutting into the arch…
New Civil Engineer writes:
The 209-year-old bridge is located in Ebbw Vale, Blaenau Gwent, known as the Big Arch. It runs over the A4281 road and was believed to be dropping stalactites on cars…
Work to restore various structural details of the bridge, originally constructed in 1813 as the northern gateway to the Ebbw Vale Ironworks, were conducted by Structural Repairs & Specialist Services (Stress).
Stress project management surveyor Stuart Roberts said: “Our original process for the client (the Welsh Government’s historic environment service, CADW) was to stop water percolating through the bridge joints as this was apparently creating stalactites that were falling onto cars.
“It was a bit of a challenge cutting into the arch as CADW made us camouflage our patented system but it was a successful project…”
For the local community, the bridge is now one of the few surviving landmarks of the area’s rich industrial past and symbolises the town’s place in the history of iron and steel making in Wales.
Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council deputy leader and executive member for place and environment Helen Cunningham said: “I’m delighted that the council has been able to restore and preserve this unique part of Blaenau Gwent’s industrial heritage.
“I know it’s not been straightforward at times so thank you to everyone involved.
“Making sure our local infrastructure is fit for purpose is important to our residents, businesses and visitors. I would like to take this opportunity to thank local residents and everyone who uses this road regularly for their patience and understanding while this work has been carried out.”
Also conducted as part of the works was the installation of a series of reinforcement bars into the masonry arch barrel to pin and stabilise the arch, as well as repairing masonry on the upper arches….
For more background see Blaenau Gwent Council website
