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Friday 20 May 2022

Cot Hill bridge in Plympton reopens following essential structural repairs

Region & Route:

Wales & Western: Western

| Wales & Western

Network Rail has reopened Cot Hill bridge in Plympton, Devon, today (Friday 20 May) following essential maintenance and repair work.

The century-old bridge was strengthened to allow for use by heavy goods vehicles (HGVs) with repairs made to the structure and a protective coat of paint added to the steelwork.

Network Rail’s engineers began work on Sunday 3 January, working throughout the night during weekends and all day during the week.

A succession of named storms in February caused extensive damage to a protective plastic shell covering the work site, unfortunately delaying the completion of this work with engineers working extra weekend shifts to finish the project as quickly as possible

Dawn Welsh, Network Rail project manager, said: “This vital maintenance and strengthening work will allow for HGVs to make safe use of the bridge without the need for a diversionary route, while improving traffic flow in the area.

“I’d like to thank local residents for their patience, especially given the difficulties encountered during storms Eunice and Franklin. The understanding of the local community has been very much appreciated.”