Bridgnorth Bypass Bridge

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Bridgnorth Bypass Bridge seen from the Bypass
Fund raising poster from 1974

Bridge 35, Bridgnorth Bypass Bridge was built during the winter of 1982-83 as part of the construction of the Bridgnorth Bypass. The proposed bypass had been a source of concern to SVRSevern Valley Railway since it was first proposed 15 years earlier, as its construction would remove the embankment south of Bridgnorth Station, severing it from the rest of the line. From reopening, a proportion of fare revenue was set aside in a dedicated trust fund to pay for the construction of this bridge.[1] In 1974 an SVRA raffle raised around £800 nett.[2] In the event, an amicable agreement was reached during 1982 between the SVRSevern Valley Railway and Shropshire County Council, who made a substantial contribution towards the cost of the bridge.

The bridge consists of two steel girders resting on concrete abutments, carried in turn on piles driven deep into the sandstone bedrock. The bridge has a concrete deck, cast in situ, rather than the normal longitudinal timbers used elsewhere on the line, allowing the track to be sleepered as normal on a ballasted base.

The bridge was completed in time for the line to re-open for the 1983 season. However construction of the bypass required lowering the B4555 Highley road to pass underneath it, and consequently increasing the height of the railway embankment. Less than two months later, the embankment collapsed a few yards beyond the bridge (the area on the left of the photo below). Shropshire County Council and the SVRSevern Valley Railway worked jointly for 14 hours a day seven days a week to reopen the line three weeks later.

Overhauls

Maintenace and repainting of the bridge was planned for, but deferred following the severe 2007 Storm Damage to the line. It was mechanically prepared and repainted using a moss green high specification paint, with a contribution of £30,000 in 2017 from Severn Valley Railway Charitable Trust Ltd.[3] It displays the SVRSevern Valley Railway logo.

References

'The Bridgnorth By-Pass Bridge', article by Alun Rees, SVRSevern Valley Railway News Issue 66.

  1. Terms and conditions on 1970 ticket reproduced in Severn Valley Steam, G. Nabarro (1971)
  2. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 32
  3. SVR Charitable Trust Report and Financial Statements 30 June 2017

See also

Towards Kidderminster
List of infrastructure
Towards Bridgnorth