Divers begin £1.5m work on bridge
4:51pm Mon 13th Oct 08:: written by Nick Mayo
Divers began work on Maidenhead Bridge today in the first phase of a £1.5million refurbishment project for the 1777 landmark.
To strengthen the foundations they will lay a mattress underwater and then pump it full of concrete over the next couple of days.
Specialist divers, from underwater engineering services Scour Protection, can work underwater for up to three hours and their equipment costs £25,000 in total; £4,000 alone for the helmets which weigh 27lbs and include communications devices.
The rest of the refurbishments will be completed next year with resurfacing work on the carriageway and repair work to the stone arches. The need for the work was identified by routine inspections in 2003. It has taken until now to plan the project and overcome budget constraints.
One lane over the bridge will be closed and the other operated by traffic lights while the work takes place.
