The historic Union Chain Bridge in the Scottish borders that reopened last year following a £10.5M revamp has closed again for further works.
The 203-year-old bridge, which carries traffic over the River Tweed near Berwick and links England with Scotland, reopened last spring after 30 months of restoration work by contractor Spencer Group.
Yet the structure has now closed to all traffic until 26 July after an investigation by Northumberland County Council identified snagging issues including “premature wear” on the carriageway’s deck panels.
Further investigation revealed a manufacturing issue with some of the panels, which are now being replaced.
Contractors are also finishing works which weren’t able to be completed last year – including work within the Scottish and English towers.
Northumberland County Council director of environment and transport Paul Jones said: “The restoration of the Union Chain Bridge was a hugely challenging engineering scheme combining the latest techniques along with centuries old craftsmanship and materials.
“While it was important to get the main works completed and the bridge open, there were some non-critical elements which we need the contractor to complete, as well as some work to replace a number of the bridge deck panels under warranty.
“It’s great to see the bridge being so well used again, and we apologise for the inconvenience, but we want the work to be done while the weather is better and ahead of the main summer holiday season.”
Union Chain Bridge is the oldest vehicle suspension bridge in the world, has a single span of 137m and crosses the River Tweed from Horncliffe in Northumberland to Fishwick in Berwickshire.
Its recent upgrade was a complex project which began in October 2020 and involved most of the bridge’s parts being removed and restored before being put back in place.
Spencer Group removed the timber deck and main suspension chains for them to be refurbished offsite while a key element of the project was a commitment to ensure all modifications were in keeping with the historical significance of the bridge.
The aim was for the bridge to have been reopened by spring 2022, but the project was delayed because “more replacement parts than originally anticipated [were] needed”.
Although the closure will be in place until 26 July, Northumberland County Council said contractors hoped the work would be completed before then.
The chain bridge is Grade I listed in England and a Grade A listed structure in Scotland was also declared an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).
Spencer Group was approached for comment.
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