Tender opens for Lancaster bridge refurb

Lancashire County Council is in the market for a contractor to refurbish the Greyhound Bridge in Lancaster in a project estimated at £4m.

The bridge spans the River Lune and was originally constructed as a railway bridge, opening in 1911 before being converted for highway use in 1972, and since then it has carried the A589 across the Lune.

The council said that major refurbishment is required to maintain capacity and prevent the imposition of limits on HGVs and other heavy load vehicles.

An open day is being held tomorrow for contractors interested in competing for the project, which is being run as an open tender. Submissions will then be required by 20 October.

Works involved in the project will include concrete repairs, the replacement of joints and parapet, highway and pavement resurfacing and the repainting of the bridge’s piers and superstructure.

The bridge is expected to be closed for up to six months once the refurbishment project starts. The council said when announcing the project that traffic would be diverted via the Skerton Bridge, which will become two-way for the duration of the Greyhound Bridge’s closure.