A52 Clifton Bridge repair scheme

This is essential repair work to protect the A52 Clifton Bridge in Nottingham ensuring it can be used for years to come.

Start date February 2020

End date Autumn 2021

Cost

Latest updates

15 January 2021

Upcoming road closures

The A52 Clifton Bridge eastbound will be closed overnight from 8pm on Saturday 16 January 2021 to 6am Sunday 17 January 2021 to carry out road surfacing works.
06 November 2020

New road layout to keep traffic moving during works

A key priority for us is to keep traffic moving by providing as much lane capacity as possible during the essential work we are carrying out on Clifton Bridge. We are aiming to reopen an additional lane on the bridge by Monday 9 November. In order to do this, the road layout will change, and Lanes 1 and 2, heading East over the A52 Clifton Bridge, will reopen. New signage will be in force on the bridge to direct traffic, so please do take care to follow this.
30 October 2020

Upcoming road closures

The A52 Clifton Bridge Eastbound, from Queens Drive to Nottingham Knight, will be closed overnight, 8pm to 6am, from Monday 2 November to Saturday 7 November.
02 September 2020

Preparing the site with safety in mind

Before repairs could begin, our structural engineers had to conduct a very detailed investigation and design process. Clifton Bridge has a complex design, and great care has been taken in planning a repair project that will keep the bridge open for many years to come. The work involves adding new steel cables to the outside of the structure, which will allow for easier maintenance in the future. We’re also repairing the drainage systems and concrete as part of this repair programme.

Safety is our top priority, and we’ll still need some lane restrictions over the top of the bridge while the work takes place, so that our teams can carry out their work effectively.

As part of the repair work we have erected scaffolding underneath the road, which has meant that Clifton Lane has been reduced to two lanes (normally four), with traffic running in one lane in each direction. This is vital to allow our teams to work safely, and access the areas underneath the bridge to repair it. These lane closures will remain in place until our works are finished beneath the bridge. For the safety of our teams, there will also be occasional full closures of this section of Clifton Lane. These works will be done overnight, when there will be less impact on our customers.

We are aiming to reopen additional lanes by the end of November 2020 once it is safe to do so. This is complex work and we’re exploring all options to see if we can bring this forward to minimise disruption to your journeys.

How we are minimising disruption

Together with Nottingham City Council, we have identified seven important junctions which were affected by increased traffic. We are working with the City Council and NET Tram to mark these as Yellow Box Junctions, to help your journey run more smoothly.

We have had lots of enquiries about how to enter the traffic management sections at the start of our roadworks. Taking note of our customers, we have placed “Merge in Turn” signs at the entrance to our roadworks.

Using the “Merge in Turn” technique can help reduce the length of the queue and minimises disruption at other junctions.

We are using the matrix signs on the M1 Motorway to direct A52 eastbound traffic to junction 24, avoiding Clifton Bridge entirely.

Nottingham City Council is supporting alternative travel planning through their Workplace Travel Service. They are offering a wide range of advice and grants, to encourage alternative ways of getting into Nottingham. For more information contact: workplacetravelservice@nottinghamcity.gov.uk
11 June 2020

Managing traffic - so we can work safely

We have industry leading specialists working on this repair scheme and to date more than 100 people have been involved in detailed analysis and investigation work.

To date, we have been carrying out detailed 3D modelling and analysis of the structure to identify how best to deliver the repair programme.

This work is methodical and has been carefully planned to make sure it is done safely and efficiently.

By limiting the amount of traffic on the bridge at present, we’re preventing further damage to the structure. This means we’re reducing the need for more disruptive repairs in the future.

We understand the level of disruption this work is causing and we are working closely with the local authority, emergency services and others to make sure we can keep traffic moving and ensure essential supplies can reach their destinations.

We are doing everything we can to get more lanes back open on the bridge as quickly and as safely as we can and we’re aiming to have the bridge restored to its original traffic layout by the end of the year.

We are complying with Public Health England guidance on social distancing measures and will continue to follow government advice. All our sites have strict safeguarding measures to prevent the spread of COVID19 and none of our sites are open to the public. The situation is kept under constant review.

Information on the works taking place:

Our structural engineers have now completed their investigation and design stage, and the substantial repair work has begun. Clifton Bridge has a complex design, and great care has been taken in planning a repair project that will keep the bridge open for many years to come.

Our teams will be working mainly underneath, or inside the bridge, so you may not see many people as you drive over the bridge. The work involves adding new steel cables to the outside of the structure which will allow for easier maintenance in future. We’re also repairing drainage systems and concrete as part of this repair programme.

Safety is our top imperative and we’ll still need some lane restrictions over the top of the bridge while the work takes place so our teams can carry out their work effectively.

We’ll be erecting scaffolding underneath the road as part of this substantial work that means Clifton Lane will be reduced to two running lanes (normally four), with traffic running in one lane in each direction from 6am on Sunday 21 June 2020.

This is vital to allow our teams to work safely and access the areas underneath the bridge to repair it. These lane closures will remain in place until our works are finished beneath the bridge.

In order for these restrictions to be put into effect, we will be closing all four lanes overnight 8pm to 6am on both nights of Saturday 20 June and Sunday 21 June. We will be putting in cones and lines on the Saturday evening followed by the installation of temporary barriers on Sunday.

If you’re travelling by car on Monday 22 June, please leave extra time for your journey as the new restrictions on Clifton Lane will be in place.

View a diagram of the traffic restrictions that will come into effect from 6am on Monday 22 June on the B679 Clifton Lane. You can also view our June 2020 newsletter with more information about the repairs.

See more updates

Project information

We’ve already been carrying out repairs to drainage systems, steel and concrete underneath the bridge.

Alongside that activity, we’ve also been carrying out detailed design work and analysis to shape our repairs programme on the bridge. This substantial work will see the installation of new steel cables placed on the outside of the bridge allowing for easier maintenance in the future. We will also be repairing steel and concrete which has been damaged by water over the years or removed during investigations. More than 100 people are working to repair the bridge and we’re doing everything we can to get this work done as safely and as quickly as possible.

We currently have temporary traffic measures in place on the bridge so that motorists can drive over the road while allowing our repair teams to work safely away from passing vehicles.

The major works are taking place under and within the bridge. We are also working near to public footpaths.

Lane closures, which are necessary for the safety of motorists and our workforce, are in place and will affect traffic and journey times.

Clifton Bridge was built in the 1970s. It is subject to regular maintenance and inspection activity, most of which is unseen by the public or passing motorists. During February 2020, the structure was undergoing planned concrete repairs which had been identified during a routine inspection last year (2019). While this work was taking place, our team were able to investigate the steel underneath the road and this investigation work uncovered the need for further repairs to the steel works, as a result of water damage.

While the structure remains safe, we’ve taken the precautionary measure of putting in place some traffic restrictions across the top of the bridge to prevent the need for further and more disruptive repairs in the future. These restrictions will also allow our teams to work safely underneath the structure. We’re looking at a phased approach to repairs which should allow us to open further lanes as soon as possible.

The aims of this scheme are to:

install new steel cables to the outside of the structure as part of the substantial repair programme
repair concrete and drainage systems
reinstate the structure to its full traffic capacity with all lanes back open to traffic