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Last Update: 2 June, 2008 9:38 AM

03/08/2007
OLD SEVERN BRIDGE GIVEN A BREATH OF FRESH AIR

Features
Author: Gary Baker

THE OLD Severn Bridge (pictured) has been a faithful servant to millions of drivers since it was first opened by the Queen forty years ago.

But, just like anything, age takes its' toll and now the old lady needs a bit of TLC.

So the Highways Agency are making sure that the Bridge, a Grade One listed building, will be able to support another generation of travellers by ensuring the cables are up to scratch.

A major programme of repairs - the Agency says there is no danger to traffic - is now taking place on it using techniques that have been successfully used on suspension bridges throughout the world.

The cables that support the bridge are inter-woven steel strands. They are each made up of 8,322 individual five millimetre wires.

A visual inspection of the cables was made in January this year, and the Agency is now using a dry-air injection system which is blasted between the strands to - literally - clear out the cobwebs where the corrosion is at its' worst.

This, it is said, will breath new life into the Severn Bridge. Patrick Carney, the Highways Agency's network performance manager for the South West, said: "The dry-air injection system is designed to stabilise the condition of the M48 Severn Bridge cables while work continues to find a longer term solution.

"Safety is our priority and we can reassure the public that the M48 Severn Bridge is still operating safely, but as a precaution we have obtained a Traffic Regulation Order to limit heavy vehicles to one lane in each direction across the Bridge.

"This restriction will reduce the risk of the bridge being heavily loaded during an exceptional event such as the closure of the M4 Second Severn Crossing following an incident. It will protect the bridge cables from the extra stress of two lanes potentially being packed with heavy goods vehicles.

"We are developing plans to manage the corrosion in the remainder of the cables, and working towards a solution to ensure the long term future of the Bridge. We will announce the details of that programme in due course."

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