Some big steps in the two-year refurbishment programme of the bridge took place in August as bridge closures allowed work to take place in the carriageway. With no traffic on the bridge, workers were able to access parts of the structure it would have been impossible to work on during normal operations. The first job was a messy one: the chains were jetwashed to remove decades of dirt, moss and other debris.
With surfaces now nice and clean, the lowest parts of the bridge chains facing the roadway were treated and painted. Three coats of paint are required and need time to dry, so this had to be done during the Balloon Fiesta Weekend – the only time we schedule a bridge closure for pedestrians. The team concentrated on painting all the chains up to 4 metres above ground level as they can easily reach these areas with mobile scaffolding platforms placed on the roadway. You may notices that some areas have now had their final coat of paint and are looking bright and new again!
It much trickier to work on the chains at a height over 4 metres. To work safely on these, scaffolders assembled ‘painting pods’. You’ll see the pods on the main span of the chains where workers have now started painting the chains curving up from the centre towards each of the bridge’s towers. Assembling the pods is no easy feat: the scaffolders are working approximately 100 metres above the high tide with a view right down to the bottom of the gorge! Although they are wearing full PPE and fall arrest harnesses it’s not a job for the faint-hearted!
In the very centre of the bridge, you may have noticed a pair of bolts next to each other where the two sides of the bridge were joined in 1864. During the bridge closure, engineers very carefully removed the iron caps, which cover the end of the bolts (or pins) which join sets of chain links together, so they could inspect the pins and make sure the original ironwork was still in good condition. As you can see from the photograph, the high-quality iron used to construct the bridge in the 1800s is still doing its job perfectly.
Of course, work didn’t only take place during the closures – there’s something happening almost every day as contractors Taziker work to get the bridge back into full working order as quickly as they can! They have also been busy upgrading the bridge’s electrical systems, laying new cables underneath the abutment footpaths and carriageway; painting the parapet fence, which runs the whole length of the bridge’s footway, and replacing the wooden handrail on top. Although you have probably never seen the handrail as it’s usually behind our safety mesh, it has a very important job as it helps the gantry (the maintenance platform that runs under the roadway) run back and forth along the length of the bridge.
As the project now moves into the Autumn, there is a chance to meet members of the team and hear about their job roles and experiences of working on the bridge at our Heritage Open Days events on 14th and 15th September. Book a free place for a ‘Meet the Engineers’ talk or drop by between 11am and 4pm to talk to our team of Bridge Explainers, who can tell you more about everything that’s been taking place!