Bridge
Weathering steel
elements were chosen
because they need little
or no maintenance
Bridge links
city bypass
16 NSC
April 18
Covering a distance of 7.5km,
the Lincoln Eastern Bypass is a
new road designed to improve
infrastructure, minimise
congestion and encourage economic growth
for the historic city.
When complete, it will link with the
existing northern relief road, thereby
becoming the next step towards creating a
complete ring road around Lincoln.
One of the crucial elements of the scheme
is the new bridge carrying the Lincoln to
Spalding railway lines over the new dual
carriageway.
A steel solution, using weathering
steel, was chosen for its low maintenance
requirements and cost-effectiveness.
Repainting the bridge at a later date for
maintenance would have been logistically
difficult, bearing in mind the necessity for a
road and rail closure.
“Because we’ve used weathering steel, once
this structure is erected there is no need for
any future painting,” says Cleveland Bridge
Project Manager Rob McBride.
In contrast to other steels, which always
look their best immediately after being
erected, weathering steel is said to improve
after a couple of years’ exposure to the
elements. It is not only on bridges that the
material is used, architects increasingly
specify it for use on buildings, fully exposed.
Forming an important part of
the Lincoln A15 Eastern Bypass, a
weathering steel bridge carrying two
railway lines has been successfully
installed.
Bridge girders on their
way to site
/Bridges
/Weathering_steel
