Black Bridge raised, despite the weather

摘要

NETWORK RAIL engineers have worked through extreme weather to raise Black Bridge, near Machynlleth, by one metre to lift it out of the flood zone. The £3.6m project - a railway first- will protect the bridge from high river levels and significantly reduce disruption for passengers. Heavy rain at the end of May caused the river levels to rise, hitting the closure mark of the bridge and demonstrating why the work to lift the bridge is so important. Despite this setback, work is progressing well. The bridge deck has been lifted and secured into its temporary position. It will be held there until it is lowered on to its newly constructed bearings by the end of June, which will be one metre higher and out of the flood zone. Kevin Giles, senior asset engineer for Network Rail Wales and Borders, said: "The flooding we have seen at Black Bridge during our work shows exactly why raising the bridge is so important. We are putting passengers first by making the railway more resilient and reliable."