Major bridge structure work is set to begin on the Isle of Wight’s dual carriageway next month, with six months of disruption expected.
The bridge over the River Medina xarries around 28,500 vehicles a day, according to Island Roads. All 16 bearings on the bridge will be replaced during the project, which is due to start on 28 September, says the County Express.
The bearings sit between the bridge deck and its supporting infrastructure, allowing the structure to safely expand, contract and move in response to traffic and temperature changes. The work is expected to last around six months, with a planned break over Christmas and New Year.
The largest impact for road users will be temporary single-lane closures, required while the bridge deck is lifted and supported by temporary jacks.
One lane will be shut for about five weeks in each direction, but the northbound and southbound closures will not happen at the same time.
Island Roads said that one carriageway will remain unrestricted while work is carried out on the other bridge deck. The southbound closure (towards Coppins Bridge) is currently expected to begin in mid-November, while the northbound closure is planned for mid-January, after the festive break.
The jacking operations will take place during phased overnight closures and further overnight closures will also be needed for work including local resurfacing and installation of movement joints.
Island Roads project manager Luke Ward said:
“The Medina Way bridge is the largest highway bridge structure managed by Island Roads and replacing the bearings is a highly complex engineering operation. Unlike many maintenance activities, these works require the bridge deck to be temporarily lifted and supported on specialist jacking systems while the existing bearings are removed and replaced.
“We fully appreciate that reducing Medina Way to a single lane in one direction will cause delays and disruption.
“However, these restrictions are a direct consequence of the temporary structural limitations that exist while the bridge is supported on jacks and the bearings are being replaced.”
(Picture: Mapillary)
