The work on the historic bridge is scheduled to be complete within four weeks, subject to adverse weather conditions.
The Welsh government and UK Highways A55 worked with Spencer Group and Cowi to develop the emergency programme following the identification in October 2022 of an immediate risk to public safety caused by issues with the bridge's hangers.
Contracts were already in place for refurbishment of the bridge, including the planned replacement of most of the hangers, following Spencer Group's appointment in summer 2022 (link opens in new tab).
A bespoke design and procurement strategy was then developed at pace in response to October's unexpected closure of the bridge.
The emergency hanger works will be carried out this month. The programme will begin with work to the west side of the bridge before switching to the eastern side.
While the emergency programme was being developed, additional maintenance works - including the resurfacing of the road - were brought forward to minimise future disruption.
A spokesperson from UK Highways A55 Ltd said that finding a solution posed a number of complex engineering challenges. “We worked extremely closely with UK Highways, the Welsh government, and the wider project team of engineers to fully understand the issues and constraints, to allow us to develop a solution that is safe and robust for bridge users, and the structure itself, in the fastest possible timescale.”
