Suffolk County Council have issued the following statement about the Bailey Bridge.
Following the closure of the bailey bridge on safety grounds in early October, Suffolk Highways has been working with AECOM to deliver a factual report on the condition of the key elements of the bridge. The final 83 page report was submitted by AECOM on Thursday 25 October 2018.
In summary, the report has confirmed that risks to the structure are due to the damaged timber bracing and the severe corrosion to the stringer beams which support the deck. Once the bracing has been repaired and temporary measures installed, where necessary, to address the weak stringer beams that support the deck there are other maintenance works identified in the report that require completing. These however are not required prior to the reopening of the bridge. Focus has now turned to providing a technical note/specification for repairs to the piers and deck that can be implemented to open the bridge at the earliest opportunity. It is anticipated that this technical note will be available by the end of next week.
In the meantime, Suffolk Highways is working with A-Tech DMS to investigate the availability of the materials, tide-times, plant/labour availability to undertake repairs to the timber bracing on piers 2 and 3. It is likely that these works can be undertaken towards the end of next week or early the following week. These works will return structural stability to the piers, reducing the risk of pier failure due to boat or debris strikes. Despite the pier repairs, the bridge will remain closed until temporary measures to address the weak stringer beams are completed.
Kind regards, Lloyd Jones Communications and Customer Services Manager Suffolk HighwaysI Phoenix House, 3 Goddard Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 5NP
T: 01473 264924 I M:07850 883186