Vauxhall Bridge Improvement Scheme
Posted on Mon 14 March 2011
£295,000 was approved on 2nd March 2011 by the Big Lottery Local Fair Share panel for an initiative, in partnership with Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust (GYPT) as applicant and managers of the project, for Phase 1 of a restoration of Vauxhall Bridge, Great Yarmouth.
The local panel recommended approval because this project fits in with the local Fair Share Trusts Priorities, Aims and Objectives which include;
- provision of good footpaths and cycle ways
- to develop/improve Vauxhall Bridge and its surroundings.
This also identifies that this could be achieved by:
- Refurbishment scheme by a consortium of local authorities and other stakeholders
This is on top of funding already spent or committed on other projects for the Runham Vauxhall/Bureside area of £400,000.
The cast iron bridge is Grade 2 listed; it was first opened in 1852 and modified in 1886 to take railway locomotives, when the present footbridge was also added. The bridge was closed to vehicular traffic in 1953, although the footbridge is still used by pedestrians and cyclists. Vauxhall Bridge is the only surviving major bridge in the country to have been strengthened in the 19th century by complete alteration in its structural form. Its listing describes it as “a rare survival of a wrought-iron railway bridge with significant early steel strengthening.” It is the first and iconic “heritage” structure seen by the many tourists arriving at Great Yarmouth each year and provides a vital link between Great Yarmouth and the Railway Station, and to the ASDA superstore.
The structures are owned and maintained by Railway Paths Ltd, on behalf of SUSTRANS (sustainable transport charity). A structural survey from October 2010 showed the bridges are in poor condition. The footbridge was closed for several weeks in late 2010 for repairs to damaged deck timbers, which created access difficulties for users of the railway station. SUSTRANS, Great Yarmouth Borough Council, and Norfolk County Council also want to secure the footway/pedestrian link to:
- encourage modal shift and encourage more users of this key public transport interchange
- provide safe and effective facilities for cyclists and pedestrians using the bridge
At an estimated cost of £500,000, the Phase 1 works would include:
- Full refurbishment of eastern span including deck support beams, box girders and lattice arch
- Protective paint system with up to 25 years design life
- New deck for re-routed footway/cycleway plus lighting
- Improvement of approaches to the bridge
Further funding is being sought from other interested parties and funding sources, so that work can start within the next year. Future phases of work would see the full restoration of the entire structure.
Great Yarmouth Preservation Trust, who has a successful track record in funding and delivering heritage improvements, will act as a project board/client to consider technical recommendations and oversee the appointment of consultants and contractors. It is hoped that work can be carried out by the Norfolk County Council Partnership with Mott MacDonald and May Gurney, who have considerable experience in similar, successful bridge restoration work both in and outside Norfolk.
There will be a manned exhibition of proposals for the bridge at a “Great Yarmouth River Care Community Clean up Day” that has been organised by Community Connections in partnership with Keep Britain Tidy Group and Anglian Water to take place on 14th March 2011 between 11am and 1pm based in Asda car park, at the rear of the Vauxhall railway station; volunteers are welcome.
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