Iron Bridge

[CTCREP]

For years I have been trying to persuade Stockport MBC to signpost a route to Brabyns Park and Etherow Country Park from the end of the Middlewood Way at Rosehill. They keep saying there is no money available and yet put up Corporation signs that provide no useful information all the parks .  For people using the Middlewood way who don't know Marple, it is illogical they have no idea that such treasures as the Park and the Canal system are nearby, and furthermore that cafes etc are just up the road. If more cyclists had known, perhaps we wouldn't have lost our Cycle Shop. Stockport MBC says it will replace missing Middlewood Way signs, but with no new information. However there is perhaps the possibility of new signs in the distant future within the Connect2 scheme.  It is essential that those who have some influence over the Council that they ensure any future signage is of benefit to the Community and not just the Council.

[admin]

Yes, completion of the multi-model trail through the park is waiting for completion of the two bridges. It should be far better than it has ever been (for a long time anyway).

The Iron Bridge project will also be funding improvements to the roadway to the pavillion, particularly to improve disabled access around the speed humps and provide resting places along the way.

[Lisa Oldham]

I went for a walk in Brabyns this morning but didnt quite make the bridge!!!

Once the work is finished and the work on the other bridge done is there a plan to redo the road across the field and the road down to the recreation centre?

not complaining.... I want the work on the bridge done but the road is suffering a bit from the big lorries and the path across the park is a nightmare at the moment... wasnt great b4 hand but its AWFUL now

[Cycling Duk]

'> Thank you for the information - I should have looked on the Iron Bridge Update Site which i will do in future

[admin]

The Iron Bridge project is indeed suffering delays. The reasons behind this are as explained in the last entry in our project diary posted in October.

Problems arose following discovery of some unexpected features on the cast iron bridge that had been hidden by the Bailey bridge foundations and the decking and fill on top of the bridge. These features are cast iron up-stands at the abutments and at the centre of the bridge that clashed with the proposed design for the modern intervention that will house the re-routed gas main and carry the new parapets required to meet present day safety standards.

Since these features were discovered there has been a great deal of development and discussion regarding the design, which has hampered further progress on site.

Finding solutions that avoid cutting these unexpected features, whilst also ensuring that the cast iron bridge remains an integral part of the load bearing structure, has been difficult. In addition, we have had to adjust the design to avoid cutting the bases of the stone domes or removing any of the existing abutments. This has been driven by our desire to leave the existing fabric of the bridge completely intact and untouched. It would have been much easier to develop a solution by allowing all these features to be cut or removed but this is against the principals we have applied throughout the project.

We believe that we have now established acceptable solutions that meet all our criteria but we are currently awaiting final design drawings to confirm that it all works. We have had so many false starts on the design work throughout the life of the project that we were waiting for the confirmation before making any further updates.

We expect to receive the final design drawings before Christmas but we do not expect much more work to be done on site this year. It is more likely that work will restart in earnest in the New Year. I would estimate that this means the project will now not be complete until around March 2008 but this is only an educated guess. We expect that the contractor will identify a firmer completion date when he prepares an updated schedule once the final design is made available to him. We will update the diary when we have any new information, as we always do.

Regarding installation of the Bailey bridge across the river as a temporary measure, schemes like this were considered but discarded due to technical, environmental, safety and cost issues. It was felt that the best and safest option causing least environmental damage would be a straightforward closure of the bridge for the period of restoration. The Council’s Rights of Way Officer had the key input to this decision and we supported him in this.

Regarding specifically re-using the Bailey bridge for this purpose, it would have needed substantial foundations on either bank even if it were long enough, which it is not. It would also have needed significant landscape changes on both banks to provide safe access for all pedestrians, cyclists, disabled people and horse riders. All these landscape works and foundations would have destroyed the character and stability of the riverbanks and would have been very difficult to reinstate afterwards. If that wasn’t enough, users would still have to access it through the construction compound, which would not be safe.

The closure is certainly inconvenient for people living in Compstall and everyone else who might wish to use the bridge but the long term benefits of restoring this important historic structure have surely got to be worth it. Having got as far as we have, and we are now well into our seventh year, it would be a shame to make a poor job of it. The delays are therefore an unfortunate consequence of our determination to do the job as well as possible and I can assure you that NOBODY is as frustrated as we are by the time and effort it has taken to (hopefully) resolve the difficulties that we have encountered and reach a satisfactory solution.

I hope this answers your query for now and as soon as we have any firm information we will share it with everyone in the project diary in the usual way.

[Cycling Duk]

Does anyone know when work will re-commence at the Iron Bridge site? No signs of any work being carried out for weeks now.

Why did they not put the old Bailey Bridge across the river onto the Island? The remaining section of river is very often shallow enough to wade with wellies on!

The closure is very inconvenient for people living in the Compstall area!