Vital bridge road to open tomorrow

The Plymouth Road bridge, which re-opened in April after being closed for six months, will now be open to traffic both ways with all four lanes in operation once again.

During the months of its closure it was demolished and rebuilt as part of a £6.1m project.

The announcement comes as good news to Fylde coast motorists, as this vital road serves as a between Blackpool and the M55 with Bispham, Cleveleys, and Fleetwood,

Its closure has also led to increased congestion on other roads around it.

Coun Gillian Campbell, deputy leader of the council, said: “Once again, we have delivered on our promise to complete the next phase of the repair programme on time with all four lanes reopening on Friday.

“We continue to have a strong track record with completing large scale highways investments on time and within budget.

“Phase three of the repair programme was expected to run until 27 July so it is fantastic that we have been able to finish these works nearly four weeks ahead of schedule.

“We worked hard with local business owners and residents throughout the project to lessen the impact of the works on them and I would like to thank people for their patience but I am sure that everyone appreciates that the work needed to be done.”

The third phase of the bridge repair programme has seen the utilities from the temporary footbridge diverted back into the highway.

The footbridge will be dismantled and removed from site on Thursday and the final surface has now been completed which provides a much smoother surface for road users.

With the final phase of engineering works complete, the eighty-year-old bridge will now reopen to two way traffic with all four lanes in operation once again.

As part of the £6.1m scheme, the deck of the bridge has been replaced due to corrosion.

The corrosion on the bridge was significantly high, with the chloride based corrosion of the concrete rated as being up to 6%, far above the recommended level of 0.3%.

The maintenance work is part of a programme to repair ten Blackpool bridges during the next four years at a total cost of £11.365m.

The money is made up by contributions from Blackpool Council, the Department for Transport’s Challenge Fund and the Lancashire Enterprise Partnership’s Growth Fund.

Some £1m of external funding for Plymouth Road bridge has also been received from Network Rail in order to raise the height of the new bridge, enabling electrification works of the train line underneath.

During the closure of the bridge, which links Blackpool and the M55 with Bispham, Cleveleys, and Fleetwood, there has been increased congestion on other roads around it.

Coun Campbell first announced the re-opening of the bridge at last night’s full council meeting.

At the meeting, Councillor Michele Scott, of Warbreck ward, said: “I’m delighted to hear the Plymouth Road bridge is opening but traffic management is needed to monitor it and address any issues.”

Coun Campbell said that would be looked at.