
Refurbishment works at the Clifton Suspension Bridge are now underway and we are just over a month into the project. So what’s been happening?
When planning maintenance projects, the Trust works alongside organisations such as Natural England to mitigate against any impact on the local environment. On 19th April, Taziker arrived on site and began by establishing a compound on the Clifton side of the bridge to house equipment and facilities. The close proximity is essential to the refurbishment process – and the only other option would have been to have been to completely close the bridge to all traffic for the duration of the project. Before set up could begin, site plans were approved by the Downs Ranger, and protection installed around existing trees to ensure no damage to their root systems. Once works are complete, these grassy areas will be returned to the condition in which they were found, with fresh turf laid. More storage space for scaffolding and equipment is required, so the compound is still to be completed.
The bridge was closed for one day on Tuesday 23rd April to allow several important maintenance tasks to be completed. The weighbeams at each end of the bridge which monitor the weight of vehicles crossing were serviced; the expansion joints which allow the span of the bridge to expand and contract effectively were cleaned; and heras fencing was installed along the length of the North footway.
Now the real work could begin! With the footway closed to visitors, it has been possible to remove the protective safety fence exposing the original Victorian latticework of the parapet girders. In order to prepare the ironwork for painting, the old flourescent tube lighting also had to be removed, so you may now notice temporary ‘festoon’ style lighting along the side of the bridge at night.
The team are currently working to remove all the pre-existing paint and coatings from the parapet girders using needle guns. These tools force a set of fine chisels against a surface, cleaning the area back to the original Victorian iron. As it’s noisy work, ear protection is required – but as well as protecting themselves the workers must ensure that they protect the flora and fauna of the Avon Gorge. In order to do this, they are using a ‘capture net’ to make sure all paint removed is contained on the underside of the bridge.
In preparation for work to begin on the chains, the LED illuminations need to be removed. A new energy efficient lighting system will be installed once the painting has been completed, so workers are already installing new cabling in cable trays along the underside of the bridge and removing old wiring from the towers. Accessing the tower isn’t easy: many visitors to the bridge assume there is a spiral staircase inside, but in fact both bridge towers are built from solid stone as they support the load or weight of the bridge itself. In fact, reaching the tower top involves climbing a series of narrow ladders and using a small lift system. It’s slow going and space is limited!
As we move into June, expect to see access scaffolding appear on the footway, followed by mobile painting pods which will be attached to the chains. This will be an exciting process to watch – but our workers won’t have to be quite as daring as those in the past!
Credit: Mirrorpix