Bridge work
may end in
December
THERE are hopes that the long-running strengthening and widening work on the Tamar Bridge, with its resulting traffic queues, may be completed by December.
The news was given by the joint chairman of the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry joint committee, Mike Gillbard, to Liskeard town councillors at their monthly meeting on Tuesday night.
Four weeks backlog of work on the bridge has been recovered in the last four months, and today's (Friday's) meeting of the Committee will be told the revised formal opening date will be January 24 next year.
Work on the £34.6 million project is in its final phase now that the replacement of the southern half of the main deck is underway.
Traffic crossing the bridge continues to have three available lanes, except for planned single lane closures between 9.30am and 3.30pm each working day. The layout of the lane on the main deck has recently been changed to allow work on the south side to start before the north side has finished.
Richard Fish, project manager for the scheme, said: 'Although it is too early to make exact predictions, especially if the weather in the autumn is like last year's, there is every hope that further time can be recovered.'
At today's meeting Committee members will also be told of the results of recent public consultations on the planned replacement of the Torpoint ferries. Three options have been considered to replace the ageing vessels - capacities of 60, 73 or 85 cars.
Father Philip
bungee jumper...
THE parishioners and congregation of the parish of St Lalluwy at Menheniot are lining up to give their vicar, Father Philip Conway, the push.
They are not doing so because they want to see the back of him - but because they are sponsoring him to bungee jump off Mount Hutt on South Island, New Zealand this September.
Fr Philip is to make the memorable jump, in aid of St Petroc's Society and the restoration of St Lalluwy's church, when he visits his family in New Zealand with his wife Katie, and children, Bethany and Joshua. Mount Hutt in Methven, near Ashburton on the Canterbury Plains, provides the highest altitude bungee jump in the country. Fr Philip said: 'The idea is that you bungee the top of the mountain and ski down the rest. I don't exactly know how it works, but whatever happens it is certainly going to be exciting.'
He added: 'We need to raise funds for our church buildings. The tower and spire, and the windows of St Lalluwy's are in urgent need of repair, as are some of the windows of our Mission church, St Mary's in Merrymeet.'