Westminster Bridge fascias replacement
Facts and figures
- Completion date: September 2007
- Value: £11.8m
- It is the oldest bridge in use in London, being constructed in 1854. The seven-arch wrought-iron bridge is overall 827 ft long and 84 ft wide and was opened in May 1862.
- Westminster Bridge is painted predominately green for the Commons benches of the Houses of Parliament; Lambeth Bridge is painted red for the benches of the Lord's.
Client: Transport for London
The recognisable decorative spandrels were refurbished and incorporated into new cast iron fascias, preserving the historic face of the bridge.
The works consisted of the removal and replacement of 14 cast iron self supporting fascia arches which had weakened over the years by thermal movements and ship/barge impacts. The works were undertaken over several river span possessions, whilst maintaining the structure open to both pedestrians and vehicular traffic at all times. This was achieved by innovative temporary works solutions, fabricated and assembled at a separate location and transported to site by river for installation.
Each fascia was cut and lifted from the bridge by a 110t capacity crawler crane using Interserve’s ‘Tilman’ barge. Once free, the fascia was lowered onto a second barge and secured for transit before being taken away for renovation.
Innovative temporary works solutions, arrived at with our design partners, Tony Gee & Partners, facilitated the removal of the existing fascias without disruption to bridge traffic or pedestrians.
Achievements
- Received Heritage Award for Infrastructure in 2008 by the Institution of Structural Engineers
- Merit Award 2007: Highly Commended for Outstanding Civil Engineering Project by Institution of Civil Engineers London
