Rugby bridge demolition
A landmark feature in Rugby, the Lawford Road disused railway bridge, is to be demolished, with teams moving in on Monday to start the work.
The bridge is being removed as part of the £37m Rugby Western Relief Road project, with work being undertaken by Warwickshire County Council’s contractor Carillion.
Engineers have described the removal of the bridge as a ‘complex operation’.
Pete Bones, a senior engineer specialising in bridge and structural design and working for the county council explained: “The removal of a brick arch bridge is always a complex operation and this will be no exception. In years gone by, explosives would have been used, but this is not considered an option on health and safety as well as environmental grounds.
“It will have to be delicately taken down working from the inside of the arch in a safe manner to avoid the risk of masonry collapsing and causing injury to the workforce and damage to the machinery.
“There have been several delays leading up to the removal of the bridge, as numerous unidentified services such as gas, electricity and water have been encountered. All of these have had to be carefully examined and tested to establish whether they are still in use, before being diverted or removed.
“Once the bridge and the approach embankments have been removed, it will allow the junction of the Rugby Western Relief Road with Lawford Road to progress. When complete, this will be the largest signal controlled junction in Warwickshire.”
The railway bridge was opened in 1851 as part of the LMS Rugby to Leamington Line. Its busiest period was 1922 when 11 trains a day ran in each direction.
In 1958 the line closed to passenger traffic, and it was closed to freight in 1965 under the Beeching Plan. However, Rugby Cement did continue to use the Rugby to Long Itchington section to a limited extent for some time after that.
Pete continued: “The bridge itself is typical of railway structures of that era. It was built long before there was any motor traffic, and having a severe hump in a bridge was not considered too much of a nuisance, except perhaps by the horses and mules that had to pull their carts up and over the arch.
“Since the invention of the motor car and the development of the housing estates in and around Parkfield Road, with this bridge being so close to the junction with Parkfield Road, it has been regarded as a major hazard and inconvenience to road users. This is because the hump severely impaired visibility.”
Demolition works get underway on Monday morning and are expected to take two to three days to complete.
To give people a chance to see the Rugby Western Relief Road taking shape Pete Bones is conducting minibus tours and these can be booked by calling Pete on 01788 513125. They generally take place on a Tuesday morning and last about 1½ hours. Owing to the limited number of spaces available, a first come first served system is operated.
For further information on the project contact the site office on 01788 513100 or visit the website at http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/rwrr