Engineering firm given contract for £18 million Erskine Bridge facelift

The Erskine Bridge is to get a new lick of paint and a facelift in an £18 million deal for engineering firm Spencer Group.Transport Scotland say the works on the landmark structure will be done to minimise traffic disruption. Hull-based Spencer Group has been awarded the contract by bridge owner Transport Scotland to deliver an extensive programme of maintenance painting.Scotland Transerv is the principal designer and the engineer managing the works. COWI (formerly Flint and Neill) were appointed as technical experts to assist Scotland Transerv produce the design and will assist management of the works.Opened in 1971, Erskine Bridge is the longest cable-stayed bridge of its type in the world at 1.3km and was last year awarded Category A status by Historic Environment Scotland in recognition of its special architectural interest.The works will be delivered in four phases, beginning immediately, and will include:Provision of specialist temporary accessSurveying and inspection of the existing steelworkSteelwork repairsStripping off paint layers and applying new coats of paintThe works will also involve the refurbishment the bridge’s footpaths and removal of redundant gas mains. It comes after Spencer Group recently completed a £10 million project to complete repair works which followed a fracture that caused the closure of the Forth Road Bridge near Edinburgh. That scheme involved the replacement of the truss end links, which connect the bridge deck to the towers, with a unique new sliding bearing system designed by Transport Scotland’s consultants Fairhurst. Bridges projects manager James Barnes said the plan is to minimise impact on journeys across the bridge.