Further overnight closures of Merafield Bridge
Further overnight closures on A38 this week for installation of Merafield Bridge
Work to install the new £6.4 million Merafield Bridge over the A38 at Plympton continues with overnight closures required from today, Wednesday, 2 March.
The first phase of the installation commenced last week and drivers on the A38 will have seen the new bridge beginning to take shape.
This phase of the work was due to be completed last weekend, but some engineering issues required additional planning and surveys to be carried out.
Highways England project manager Justin Marr said:
It is great to see the new bridge structure in place, but as is sometimes the case with schemes as complex as this, some issues came to light during installation.
We needed to ensure there was correct alignment of the steel structure so the rest of the installation could progress smoothly and that’s why we took the decision to stop operations two days early and review the situation.
All the necessary checks have now been completed and we are in a position to continue with the installation of the new bridge. To avoid any further delays to the programme we plan to start again on Wednesday.
We would like to thank drivers for their patience while we complete this important phase of the scheme and apologise for any inconvenience.
The work will require 4 night time closures of the A38 for approximately 4 miles between Forder Valley and Deep Lane. A fully signed diversion route will direct drivers through Plympton between the Forder Valley and Deep Lane junctions.
The first closure will take place between 8pm and 6am Wednesday, March 2.
We hope to undertake the remaining 3 nights of work between the evening of Friday March 4 and the morning of Monday March 7 but this is dependent on prevailing weather conditions as strong winds are forecast over the weekend. Drivers will be informed of any updates.
To ensure the minimum of disruption no closures will be in place during the day time.
The work remains on schedule with an expected completion date of July 2016.
General enquiries
Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.
Media enquiries
Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.