A bridge in Newport is to be closed for investigation works to ensure it is safe for heavy goods vehicles to cross. Work carried out on Caerleon bridge in the east of the city is due to start soon after Newport council’s planning committee and Cadw approved proposals this week.
The bridge – a main route in and out of Caerleon – is expected to be closed for three days while the work is completed. The work, which is being carried out on behalf of the council by Mott MacDonald, aims to “better understand the structural parameters of the bridge and to inform the structural load capacity of the bridge and whether any structural support or remedial works are needed”.
An initial assessment indicated that the bridge’s load capacity is 13 tonnes but that measure is dependent on the thickness of the arch, which is unknown. It is hoped the investigations will inform the council on future work which needs to be carried out.
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As a Grade II-listed entity the bridge, built in the early 19th century, required the council to achieve approval from Cadw prior to any work commencing. A health and safety risk assessment determined that the bridge must be closed for three phases of the project to reduce risk to pedestrians and motorists. For more Newport stories visit our Newport page here and sign up to our Newport newsletter here.
The second stage will involve using a window sampler to dig up to 6.8m as well as hand-dug trial holes to investigate the underlying materials within the bridge. According to Mott McDonald no roads other than the bridge will be affected by the work.
