Friday 9 May 2008
£4M FACELIFT FOR 'SHAKEY BRIDGE'
- Region & Route:
- | Wales & Western: Wales & Borders
- | Wales & Western
A massive project to renew the 109 years old Weston Mill viaduct has started.
Network Rail is spending a total of nine months and an investment of £4 million to improve the condition of the viaduct, which is also known as the ‘Shakey Bridge’. The renewal project is the largest engineering work carried out on the viaduct since the 1980s.
Repairs will be made to the viaduct’s steelwork and brickwork to strengthen its structure and extend its life for another 50 years. The bridge over the viaduct will also be repainted to protect it from corrosion caused by the salty air.
The Weston Mill viaduct stretches across a wide tidal inlet that is next to the Devonport Naval Dockyard; the salt-laden atmosphere within that area has severely corroded critical parts of the structure.
At 46 feet high and 1200 feet long, the Weston Mill viaduct was a replacement for an all-timber structure that was originally designed by Brunel.
The viaduct carries the main line across Camels Head Creek between Keyham and Saint Budeaux stations, train services on this route will not be affected by the engineering work.
The renewal project will be completed by the end of 2008.
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We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
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