Upton Bypass bridge protection

In January 2018 we will be returning to the Upton Bypass to install new protection barriers for three bridges that cross over the road.

At the moment the piers (legs) of the A350 overbridges and Brickworks Bridge are vulnerable to severe damage if a large vehicle on the Upton Bypass were to hit them, so we plan to replace the existing steel barriers with higher concrete ones.

Because of the overall length of time the work will take, we'll be building the concrete protection in two stages - to avoid working in the summer months.

Stage 1 - completed 21 April 2017

A35 westbound carriageway widening
A350 bridge westbound central pier protection
A350 bridge eastbound central pier protection
A35 eastbound drainage improvements
A350 overbridge 'coping unit' replacement
Brickworks Bridge westbound central pier protection
Brickworks Bridge eastbound central pier protection

Stage 2 - January 2018

A350 bridge westbound verge pier protection
A350 bridge eastbound verge pier protection
A35 westbound drainage improvements
A35 resurfacing in the works area under the A350 bridges
Brickworks Bridge westbound verge pier protection
Brickworks Bridge eastbound verge pier protection

This £1m bridge protection work is part of our £15m highways maintenance programme.

Bridge protection - national standards

Around eight years ago, following a change in the national standards, we started a programme of protecting bridge piers that could be demolished if they were hit by a big vehicle.

Sites protected so far include: