Bridge repairs completed in time for Easter

A key Blackpool road will re-open tomorrow after vital repairs were completed '“ ahead of schedule.
Bridge on Princess Street, BlackpoolBridge on Princess Street, Blackpool
Bridge on Princess Street, Blackpool

Finishing touches to repair the bridge, which runs Seasiders Way over Princess Street, are taking place so that both roads can re-open to traffic, one week before the start of the Easter holidays, council chiefs say.

The work saw the old bridge deck completely demolished and replaced with a stronger structure.

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The old bridge was in a decrepit state and would have had to close to all traffic in the next two years if the work had not been carried out, the council claimed.

Coun Fred Jackson, Blackpool Council’s Cabinet Member for Municipal Assets, said: “We’ve managed this contract very closely and made sure that the contractors completed the work on budget and on time, so that we could re-open Seasiders Way in time for the Easter holidays.

“If we hadn’t completed this work then the two roads would have had to close permanently in the near future. Seasiders Way is a hugely vital road for both residents and tourists and we simply couldn’t allow that to happen.

“So I’m delighted that we’ve managed to bring in the money to carry out the works and get them completed at a time when it would cause the least amount of congestion.

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“As well as thanking the officers and the contractors for their hard work, I would like to offer my thanks to residents and drivers who have patiently used the diversions while the work has been undertaken.”

The maintenance work is part of a programme to repair 10 Blackpool bridges, many damaged by air-borne salts and chlorides, over the next four years at a total cost of £11.365m.

That figure is covered by Blackpool Council, the Department for Transport’s Challenge Fund and the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership’s Growth Fund.