The Voice of Spalding and South Holland
Work on the Cross Keys crossing at Sutton Bridge is ’beyond the halfway mark’ Lincolnshire County Council has said ahead of work pausing for the Jubilee weekend.
Temporary traffic lights are set to be take down on Wednesday June 1 before returning the following Monday.
The council also says its finished its overnight road closures.
A spokesman for Lincolnshire County Council, said: ”Works to repaint the A17 Cross Keys Swing Bridge at Sutton are now beyond the halfway mark and are continuing at pace.
“LCC and partner contractors have put in a huge amount of work in shifts around the clock to bring the 1897 structure’s paintwork up-to-date with a fresh, glossy finish.
“Now that the scaffolding has started to be dismantled, passers-by will really be able to see the difference. The new coats of paint applied to the structure are in keeping with the heritage of the bridge and its Grade II listing.
“A large quota of refurbishing and repairing the below-road part of the structure has also been completed with the turret, turntable and pump room getting attention.
“The next phase of works will move onto the eastbound road and footpath. Safe pedestrian access across the bridge will be maintained throughout.
“As we approach the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee public celebrations there will be minimal traffic management in operation across the bridge to reduce the amount of disruption to expected holiday traffic. The temporary traffic lights will be removed from 5.00pm on Wednesday June 1 and returned to operation at 7:00am, Monday June 6. When in place, the temporary lights are manually monitored between 7.00am and 7.00pm.
“The final series of overnight closures were on May 23, 24 and 25. During that last round of working through the night, we also carried out some essential maintenance works to the roundabout surface and made repairs to potholes and gullies on the A17 in the immediate area.
“By doing these works at this time we were able to take advantage of the quiet roads to complete a series of repairs that will benefit the local community. Working on the road at the same time as the closure was in place for the bridge repair meant that we could advance the maintenance work on this stretch of the A17 ahead of schedule.”
Coun Richard Davies, executive member for highways said: “The news that these vital and extensive works are progressing well is very welcome. There has been a huge amount of work carried out by all concerned on the bridge so far with more still to come.
“The expertise and attention to detail that the engineers and contractors have brought to this project means that the bridge will continue in its role for the community for many years more.
“We have found that traffic management across the past few weeks has been challenging at times and we are sorry for the local area disruption and, at times, frustration caused.
“We are continuing to work with our traffic management contractor to try to alleviate the issues as best we can for not only at peak times, but throughout the rest of the day.
“Once again, I would like to thank the local residents and road users for their patience and for the goodwill that they have shown towards the traffic management operatives.”
