£1.9 million pounds of improvements planned on the A38 at Dry Bridge, Rattery
A 1.9 million programme of essential maintenance work to replace a bridge over the A38 near Rattery in Devon, starts on Friday 7 November with the demolition of the old bridge.
Overnight road closures on the A38 will be needed between Friday night and Monday morning to allow Dry Bridge, which carries an unclassified local road over the A38, to be safely dismantled.
Project sponsor Mike Hillier said:
On Saturday night the bridge will be demolished and dropped onto a specially constructed timber mattress on the road below.
Following this the piers and abutments will be removed and the site prepared for the new structure. All the concrete will be removed from site and recycled for future use.
We have planned the work to take place overnight so it causes the least possible disruption but we would advise road users to allow extra time to complete their journeys.
Dry Bridge spans the A38 trunk road between Marley Head and Lower Dean junctions. The concrete in the bridge is suffering from alkali silica reaction, commonly known as ‘concrete cancer’. In time, the structure would eventually become unsafe, and therefore needs to be demolished.
Following demolition of the existing bridge, supports for the new bridge will be constructed and steel beams will be installed across the A38 followed by placement of the new bridge deck. New drainage systems, kerbing and verges will also be constructed before the new carriageway is surfaced and parapets and safety barriers are put in place.
The following overnight closures of the A38 will be required while the old bridge is demolished:
- Friday 7 November, 8pm until 6am Saturday
- Saturday 8 November, 6pm until 10am on Sunday,
- Sunday 9 November, 7pm until 6am on Monday
A diversion route for A38 traffic will be in place using the A384 and A385 (via Dartington). A separate diversion route for local traffic will also be in place.
Following demolition of the existing bridge, all lanes of the A38 will be open to traffic during the day with reduced lane widths and a 40mph speed limit in place for the safety of road users and road workers until the works are completed in April 2015.
General enquiries
Members of the public should contact the Highways Agency Information Line on 0300 123 5000.
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