The Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee has announced that the final phase of the resurfacing project on the Tamar Bridge, which focuses on the south side of the main deck, will begin as scheduled tomorrow morning (Tuesday, August 31).
As with the first phase of the work on the main deck, one lane will remain available on the main deck for traffic throughout the works, with traffic also using both the north and south cantilevers. This will provide three lanes at peak times.
The south cantilever will remain open for westbound traffic travelling from Plymouth into Cornwall. The shuttle bus service will also continue to operate as normal.
The single lane on the main deck will be used to help manage and balance traffic flows, with the direction changed by control room staff to respond to build-up of traffic or incidents such as accidents or breakdowns on the bridge or adjoining roads.
Changes to the traffic management arrangements to support this latest phase will begin after 8pm this evening so they are in place for the contractor to start work tomorrow morning.
The bridge operators recognise that this new phase and the associated traffic management arrangements will be unfamiliar to many users and ask that drivers pay particular attention to the new lane layouts, traffic signs and prevailing traffic conditions.
During this next phase of work, the contractor will also resurface the toll plaza area and the bridge approaches, as well as completing work on the four remaining bridge expansion/movement joints.
This final stage of the project remains on schedule to be completed by the end of October, when it is intended that all lanes of the bridge will be reopened to traffic.
As previously explained, the specialist asphalt surfacing laid on the steel deck of the Tamar Bridge is designed to last for between 20 and 25 years.
While the bridge was last fully resurfaced at the time of the strengthening and widening project in 1999-2001, the Plymouth side span was resurfaced in 2011 following a premature failure of the surfacing material at this location. This means this section of the bridge will not need to be resurfaced for at least a further 10 years (20 years or more in total).
The premature failure was the result of difficult traffic loading conditions at this section, caused by a high proportion of slow-moving, heavy goods vehicles.
Rather than just resurface the specific section which had failed, the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee took the opportunity to resurface the entire Plymouth side span, enabling it to trial the specialist material and monitor how it performs long term. As a result, the committee have been able to use the same materials and specialist installation contractor with confidence on the current resurfacing works.