THE Canal & River Trust is preparing to welcome a flotilla of vessels into Gloucester for the popular Tall Ships Festival following repairs to a major lift bridge.
During an inspection, cracks were found at the base of a mast on High Orchard Bridge, which carries St Ann Way over the Gloucester & Sharpness Canal in Gloucester. This meant the bridge could not safely lift to allow vessels above the height of five metres to navigate the canal, preventing ships from being able to get into the docks.
CRT teams worked closely with contractors Kier to complete repairs in time for the popular event to go ahead over the Bank Holiday Weekend (May 25-27). The work that has taken place allows the bridge to be operated safely again, with future work planned to improve the bridge cables and road surface.
CRT head of asset management Richard Wakelen said: “Our experienced engineers, alongside our contractors, have worked incredibly quickly to identify the problems with High Orchard Bridge and carry out the repairs as quickly and efficiently as possible.
“We’re delighted that the bridge is now fully open and we’re ready to welcome the ships for a fantastic festival. Urgent repairs like this come at a cost, and we have invested £250,000 in repairing the bridge so the festival can go ahead.”
The Tall Ships Festival takes place on the weekend of 25-27 May with ships having featured in Hollywood blockbusters such as Napoleon and the Pirates of the Caribbean, and which have travelled from as far as Spain, as part of the line-up.
