A major refurbishment of a bridge spanning the M5 near Gloucester is set to be completed this week, two months ahead of schedule.

As part of a sequence of safety schemes to repair a number of M5 bridges in Gloucestershire, National Highways and principal contractors MJ Church have removed the scaffolding on the Brookfield Road Bridge near junction 11, and are completing the final waterproofing and surfacing ahead of reopening it for traffic and pedestrians this weekend.

The complex operation started in January, and the bridge was expected to be fully closed until just before Christmas.

The £5 million refurbishment scheme included concrete repairs to the bridge decks, replacement of bridge bearings, removal and reconstruction of parapet beams and safety fencing, and waterproofing and entire resurfacing.

-- Advertisement --

Mark Fox, National Highways’ South West Head of Scheme Delivery, said: "We need to be especially diligent in any work involving our structures, the work is particularly complex, and I'm pleased to say the scheme has been managed fantastically start to finish by both ourselves and our supply chain who have ensured we have finished on schedule.

"We made every effort to ensure the impact on the local community was kept to an absolute minimum, and we'd like to thank motorists for their patience while this vital improvement scheme was carried out."

The Brookfield Bridge restoration work followed a major 18-month scheme to refurbish the 50-year-old bridges supporting the M5 junction 11 Golden Valley gyratory. The work finished in March, ahead of the Cheltenham Festival, while a scheme to repair the nearby Staverton Bridge over the M5 was completed in June.

National Highways and main contractor MJ Church will next embark on a programme of work to repair the Bamfurlong Lane Bridge between M5 junctions 11 and 10.

The bridge is more than 50 years old, some areas have deteriorated significantly and in addition to the structural works, inspections of the post tensioning cables will also be carried out.

The £5.6 million scheme is scheduled to start on Monday, 7 November, and complete in December next year, and during the programme of work, the bridge will be closed 24/7 to motorists, pedestrians and cyclists

Access will be maintained for residents and businesses on either side of the bridge and a local diversion route, agreed with Gloucestershire County Council, will be in place via the B4063.