Kingsweston Iron Bridge is a Grade II listed cast iron footbridge built in around 1800 that spans Kings Weston Road, linking Blaise Castle estate to Kingsweston Fields.
The footbridge closed in 2015 after a series of strikes by trucks made it unstable and unsafe. It was then secured and propped up by scaffolding, while a long-term solution was worked on that was sensitive to the footbridge's historic nature.
Restoration
The long-term plan for Kingsweston Iron Bridge is to:
- raise the structure up by just over a metre
- add steps at either end
- fully repair and restore the bridge
Work, carried out by heritage accredited contractors, to dismantle the bridge so it could be repaired off-site, started on 27 November 2023.
The cast iron structure of the bridge was dismantled and transported to a workshop in Bristol where the paint from all the parts was removed.
The parts were then repaired or re-casted. All replacement parts were cast on a like for like basis.
The stone abutments, either side of the bridge, have been built up by 1.074m and the restored structure of the iron bridge has been craned back into position.
Kings Weston Road reopened on 15 May 2024.
Work is taking place to install steps up to the bridge so we can reopen it in July 2024.
Funding
The £1.1 million restoration project is being funded by the council's Highway Infrastructure Bridge Investments fund.
How Kingsweston Iron Bridge was damaged
Kingsweston Iron Bridge received significant structural damage after being hit by a truck in 2015.
The east underside of the cast iron structure suffered major damage and loss of the lower rib to two arch beams.
A temporary scaffolding bridge support arrangement above the footbridge was installed to prevent the bridge from collapsing onto the road below.