The ambitious repair of Queen’s Park Bridge is about to get under way, with Heywood-based company, BDB Special Projects Ltd, making the final preparations on site.
The company were appointed in late 2023 following a competitive tendering process, and work to repair the 131 metre structure on Queen’s Park Road will start on Monday, 8 January 2024.
The project will see almost £4 million invested into the bridge, which is 91 years old and in need of repair to ensure it can continue to serve residents and motorists for decades to come.
The team will be undertaking vital repairs to the concrete underneath the bridge, which runs over the River Roch, and the parapets will be replaced. The road on the bridge will also be resurfaced.
The concrete barriers which separate the pavement from the road will be replaced with new kerbs, known as Trief kerbs, which are less obtrusive and place less weight onto the bridge, while still offering protection for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists.
The project, which is expected to take around 12 months to complete, will also involve the restoration of ornate steel lighting columns, which were removed after falling into a state of disrepair. They will be recreated by specialists in their original green and gold colours, before being reinstated on the bridge.
The bridge will remain open to traffic throughout the work, but it will be operating on lights, so motorists are advised to leave extra time for their journeys. Occasional full closures will take place, with the first of these due to take place overnight on Monday, 8 January 2024, when the bridge will be closed between 8pm and 6am, with a fully signed diversion route in place. The team at BDB has resurfaced a large stretch of Bamford Road in recent weeks to support the extra traffic which is expected to use this route while the work on Queen’s Park Road takes place.
Sections of the footpath which runs alongside the river underneath the bridge will be closed at various times during the project, to facilitate the extensive repairs, but no dates for these closures have been set as yet.
The company is looking to invest back into the local community during the project, with discussions ongoing on how best to support the refurbishment of the BMX track in Queen’s Park. BDB is also working with the 2 closest primary schools, St Michael’s and St Luke’s, on an art competition inspired by the bridge and the park.
The project is part of the wider regeneration of Heywood, which is being delivered through the Heywood masterplan. The multi-million pound redevelopment of Heywood Civic Centre is set to get underway within the next few months, while 72 new affordable homes will be delivered at the former Marina Ropeworks site, after plans were approved at the end of 2023.
