Broadway Bridges - Repairs

Noticed on the bridges blog someone commented that Broadway station bridge had been hit the other day, heard again today when speaking to a volunteer, luckily just scraped the paint off, but will still need repainting to prevent rust. Apparently the culprit got stuck and was photographed, so all is well, but still, quarter of a million quid bridge, not as if it isn't signposted well!

 

The culprit didn't get stuck, he was photographed reversing away as fast as he could!
We have the details.

 

Ah, ok, I knew details had been obtained which is the main thing.

 

Unfortunate but not surprising given the "get there yesterday" mentality of the average driver, often under pressure to deliver stuff quickly and reliant on a dodgy satnav. The main thing now is to minimise the risk and spot these transgressors.

Work on reopening an ECML bridge road access in my home town has now been further delayed due to additional brickwork damage being found whilst putting up steel protection bars (don't know why these weren't fitted by Network Rail at the same time as the other 2 main road bridges) and this will cause more snarl-ups in the town especially with all the additional Christmas shoppers.* Currently, the other 2 main railway over-bridges have temporary illuminated signs which flash, "warning, low bridge" but this is in English rather than (insert eastern European language of choice).

The good news from the GWSR bridge blog of course is that the Childswickham Road Bridge is open to road traffic again with repairs almost complete and the small but tricky Peasebrook Farm bridge will be completed any day now. Good news.

(*Christmas-a conspiracy between the running dogs of capitalism and their lackeys who will all be put up against the wall and executed when I take control - now where's my tablets)

 

The lorry was a local one carrying a tall skip.

Other culprits over the years include:
- Lorry carrying a stack of pallets
- Lorry carrying garden machinery
- Lorry carrying a load of cars
- Lorry carring a JCB
- Lorry carrying a 360.

These all have something in common. They are low vehicles carrying something high. The driver has no idea how tall the total vehicle is, and therefore telling him the bridge is only 14'3'' is of no use.

What we need is either a system protecting the bridge physically, like a 14'3'' bar across the road prior to the bridge, or one on the bridge, if that works to deflect the impact.
Another system is either a beam of light or a wire across the road several 100 yards away that if breached triggers a traffic light or other stop message.

Do readers have any experience or suggestions which is the best option to pursue? Another bridge strike is a statistical certainty, so what now?

BTW if anyone can tell me the date of the big 1975 strike, that would be very helpful. (a 360 on a low loader)

 

On the A30 where the B3274 crossed near Roche before the new road was built in Cornwall there was a bridge where a message came up when they were above a certain with high loads to take another route but in one case I was following a lorry and it just kept driving when the message came up.

 

Is there any reason why they cant put in a sacrificial span in front of the bridge to absorb all these hits? I pointed out on one of their blogs that there is a very good example that Network Rail put in place in front of a very similar bridge where the Badminton line crosses over the A429 between Corston and Hullavington. Admittedly it doesnt look very pretty, and the associated light equipment to warn drivers that they are too big to fit would be pricey, but it surely has to be worth stopping bridge strikes in future.

You can have a look at the particular layout on google earth. The amount of hits the sacrificial span seems to have absorbed speaks for itself.

 

The Blackwall Tunnel management should give good advice on this..

 

If the driver doesn't know how tall their lorry+load is, they should not be driving! If they then hit a bridge because of their ignorance, they should be taken off the road for a while and made to resit a test before they go back on the road.

 

Very true, but you still have a bridge possibly out of commission, so it wouldnt be much commiseration to know he probably wont do it again.

And its not just commercial lorry drivers either, I seem to recall that the railway bridge at Warcop was put out of commission for some time because an Army lorry hit it. At which point you begin to think, its less training that's the issue than lorries that are too big being allowed on roads too small for them. Its a trend thats not going to get any better.

 

That looks interesting, thanks for pointing it out. With Google street view you can indeed see exactly how it was made. Any other examples about?

 

Another Wiltshire example, on the A360 at Market Lavington.

https://goo.gl/maps/cMyqS

Must admit, I'd driven along there many times, but never noticed the sacrificial beams, but they are clear from street view. I'd say this modification (and all the dazzle stripes) was probably done about five years ago, give or take a year or two.

Tom

 

Thank you. It's the same idea, but much more substantial. It looks like the steelwork carries on inside the bridge abutments, surrounded by an extra brick skin.

Any more examples?

 

I'm not sure that any of the Worcestershire local newspapers have journalists any more - they all "report" by copying and pasting the same stories; many of which appear to be sourced from Facebook postings.

 

Alex - do you have a link to the Winchcombe plans?

 

I'll have to have a look, I can't remember how much detail the minutes went into it; as that and word of mouth is all I know about it from.

 

A620 at Welham, near Reford Notts has had a light beam warning system in place for a lot of years. Possibly since before BR closed the line at Broadway.

 

In response to Breva's question:
"Do readers have any experience or suggestions which is the best option to pursue? Another bridge strike is a statistical certainty, so what now?"

I might suggest a surveillance system like this; something that can loiter around for more than just a few hours, almost unseen and with a rather nasty "bite". I give you the Reaper MQ9A RPAS with hellfire "anti-flatbed truck with scrap on" missiles..

I'll have a word with some of my colleagues up the road. (only joking!)

 

I have a yearning for a downward-tapering plate that would both damage the load and ensure that it got stuck, allied to the impact alarming CCTV cameras and a release of purple dye. Well, it would give the local newspapers some good photographs.

 

The downward taper plate would also have the effect of trapping the offender and preventing easy self extraction.
Recovery of costs and fines would be more certain.