
Glasgow City Centre: Saltmarket bridge improvement work
Glasgow City Centre: Saltmarket bridge improvement work
A £3.8 million investment on the rail bridge spanning the A8 at Saltmarket, near Glasgow Cross.
A £3.8 million investment on the rail bridge at Saltmarket, near Glasgow Cross
We'll carry out vital metalwork repair work before removing the old paint and rust and then priming and re-painting the bridge.
From August 2022, Network Rail and our supply chain partner Story begin work to refurbish the rail bridge spanning the A8 at Saltmarket, near Glasgow Cross.
The wrought-iron structure on the City Union Line is more than 150-years old and provides a diversionary route for freight traffic and also passenger trains to Shields Depot where they are stabled and cleaned.
The 12-month programme, from August 15 until September 2023, includes essential repairs to extend the lifespan of the bridge as part of our commitment to running a safe and reliable railway.
Project Timeline
Project Updates
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First phase of work completes
The first phase of work to the bridge, which involved rivet busting to remove and replace 800 rivets and do steelwork repairs to strengthen the top of the bridge, is now complete.
For the next phase of activity, we are able to carry out much of the work during daytime and evenings, although there will continue to be overnight work at weekends.
To allow us to carryout the work safely, a single lane closure of the outer northbound road (at the Empire Bar side of the A8) will be in place. This is to allow us to erect scaffolding over the footpath and then cover the bridge in protective sheeting so that we can then break-out some concrete, followed by grit blasting and steelwork repairs.
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Phase three begins at Saltmarket
Since work started in August, we've now completed the first two phases of our programme to the northbound (Empire Bar) side of the bridge, delivering essential repairs, steelwork strengthening and painting the structure.
Phase three started on 5 January 2023 at the southbound (Bonjour Bar) side of the bridge. Again, this includes having temporary traffic management in place, with a single lane closure of the outer southbound road to allow us to erect scaffolding over the footpath and then cover the bridge in protective sheeting to allow rivet busting, grit blasting and steelwork repairs to take place.
For the next phase of activity, we are continuing to carry out much of the work during daytime and evenings to further lessen the impact of working throughout the night during the week.
Our working times are:
05 Jan to 08 Feb - Sun to Fri, 07:00hrs to 18:00hrs
05 Jan to 08 Feb - Sat nightshift, 22:00hrs to 07:00hrs
28 Jan to 08 Feb - Sun to Fri, 18:00hrs to 12:30hrs
04 Feb to 01 Apr - Mon to Fri, 12:30hrs to 23:00hrs
01 Apr to 16 May - Sun to Fri, 07:00hrs to 18:00hrs
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Bridge work reaches the halfway point
February 2023 marked the halfway point on project, as it's six months since work began.
Take a look at our video update from the project team to find out what's been achieved so far.
Why?
The work is designed to protect and extend the lifespan of the bridge. It's part of a wider, rolling programme of maintenance aimed at keeping the network safe and reliable.
When complete, the works carried out will mean the bridge is stronger, meets current safety standards and will not require repainting for up to two decades.
What will change?
We’re investing £3.8 million on carrying out essential steelwork repair work before removing the old paint and rust and then priming and re-painting the bridge.
This will address the breakdown of general paintwork and other issues throughout the wrought iron structure.