Bridges and other highway structures

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Bridges and other highway structures

The city council is the highway authority and is responsible for 101 road bridges, six foot bridges, 10 subways, 270 seafront arches under King's Road and Grand Junction Road and 63 retaining walls, all of which are owned by the council and are referred to collectively as highway structures. There are other highway structure owners/authorities in the city such as the Highways Agency (for the A27 and the A23 down to the Mill Road roundabout), Network Rail (for railways) and private owners.

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Closure of Wilbury Villas bridge - this bridge is owned and maintained by Network Rail. Earlier this year Network Rail engineers discovered cracking in the beam that supports the western side of the bridge and asked the Police to close the bridge to traffic.

Discussions are ongoing between Network Rail and the Council over what needs to be done to repair the bridge so it can be reopened. In the meantime the bridge will remain closed to vehicles but remains open to pedestrians.

6th November 2012

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The city's highway structures are regularly inspected and a programme of maintenance work is undertaken.

Our objectives are to :

• ensure the safety of the travelling public
• protect and maintain all our highway structures

To achieve this we :

• inspect every strucutre regularly
• prioritise, programme and implement repairs to our highway structures
• comply with current design standards
• commission contractors and consultants to assist us
• process abnormal load notifications
• supervise maintenance and design work
• maintain records
• advise other structure owners
• review our processes

The inspection programme consists of general and principal inspections. 

General inspections are carried out on all highway structures at regular and more frequent intervals.

Principal inspections require close examination of all visible parts of a structure and are undertaken on a limited number of important structures. These may require lane closures, track possessions where bridges cross railway lines and the use of specialist access equipment. Maintenance works arise from normal wear and tear, and the increasing age of the city's stock of structures. Typical examples of minor maintenance are :

• repainting
• repointing
• rewaterproofing
• concrete and brick repairs
• replacement of bearings

More major repairs and reconstruction are as a result of :

• general deterioration
• increasing age
• change in use
• change in standards

Examples of major works are :

• extensive concrete and masonry repairs
• underpinning
• redecking
• partial reconstruction
• strengthening
• meeting revised standards
• widening
• replacement

Weight limits

The maximum permitted weight of vehicles was increased in February 2001 to 44 tonnes. All highway structures are part of an ongoing assessment programme to identify structures which are now sub standard.

Weight restrictions can be imposed for structural or environmental reasons. These impose a legal control on a specified vehicle weight or width on certain roads.

The restriction prevents large or heavy vehicles from using inappropriate roads, routes or areas in order to prevent damage to buildings, roads and bridges. They are enforced by means of a traffic regulation order with regulatory signs placed on site.

The only bridge in Brighton & Hove which is not able to take 44t is Wilbury Villas railway bridge which has a 3t restriction. 

If you wish to move an abnormally heavy or wide vehicle through the City please notify us, details are on the Abnormal Loads page. 

Seafront Arches

A259 Kings Road Arches (West Pier)

Application for Local Pinch Point Funding
In order to secure additional funding to enable essential strengthening works that are required for the Arches that are either side of the site of the former West Pier and i360 viewing tower, the council has submitted a bid to the government’s Department for Transport for £2.9 million to be spent during 2013/14 and 2014/15.

The city council considers that the application is robust and comprehensive and that the scheme can be delivered quickly.  It will fulfil the government’s objectives for this fund to support economic growth by minimising a potential constraint on strategic and local movement, and provide access to job and business opportunities.

The bid was submitted at the end of February 2013 and can be accessed by the links below.

1. Schedule of supporting information
2. LPPF application form
3. Location map
4. Scheme plan
5. Letter of support from Local Enterprise Partnership
6. Other letters of support – BHCC & West Pier Trust & i360 Architects
7. Extract from i360 Legal (Section 106) Agreement
8. Appraisal Summary Table [AST]
9. Joint letter from council’s Section 151 Officer & Head of Procurement
10. Project programme
11. Risk Register
12. Hazard management schedule
13. Pre-Construction Information (CDM)

The timing of any announcement by the government of the result of the bid is not yet known.