Here is our Thursday report, hot from the visit of our structures engineer John.
We can report progress on two bridges:

Bridge 5 - Little Buckland

South abutment  Excavation is completed and trench sheets strutted off the brickwork have been installed to avoid any risk of the rear earth face collapsing, before the concrete is placed. Obviously the sheets and struts will have to be removed immediately before the concrete can be placed. Dowel bars have been resin anchored into the back of the abutment and wing wall brickwork and a few more are to be put in to anchor the pier on the S.W corner, which has a 50mm wide vertical crack separating it from the abutment. Concrete availability has prevented it being poured tomorrow, as was hoped,  but concrete and  a concrete pump has been laid on, for a start first thing on Monday morning. 

Cheltenham side - ready for the first concrete pour

North Abutment

Excavation has re-started to extend the working area required so that it can be terraced to give access to the deeper dig required on the N.W. side where the entire wing wall and foundation has to be removed.

 

Digging away near the NW wing wall and abutment.

Rebuilding of the brickwork to the badly cracked upper half  of the N.E. wing wall is well in hand and should be finished by tomorrow night. The bricks have turned out to be quite a good match with the existing, by mixing Brindles and blues. 
 

NE wing wall repair in progress

 The cosmetic repair to the crack against the abutment end has proved to be a very worthwhile operation. The wider section at the higher level was in progress but is mostly hidden behind the sheeting. These pictures show the repair of the crack:

The crack repaired with new bricks

As it was

Deck

The entire upper surface of the  bridge deck has been blast cleaned and had a coat of pre- waterproofing primer applied. The majority of the rest of the steelwork has been blast cleaned and a coat of primer applied. Tramblast is now working on Bridge 1 to avoid interfering with the masonry repairs.

Bridge 1- Broadway

All steelwork has been blast cleaned and been given a coat of primer (grey). The upper halves of the 3 main girders have also been given an undercoat (white).

 

Overview of Broadway blasting and painting.

Broadway bridge main girders in white undercoat

The steel workers are due back on Monday, whereupon Tramblast will go back down to bridge 5.

As usual the plan is to keep the various trades going with a continuous quantity of work, but without clashing with each other.