Safety-critical weight restrictions will be introduced on the A41 Brent Cross Flyover in North London, after it was found to be in a worse condition than previously thought.
TfL will introduce a 7.5t weight restriction on the structure from Tuesday (11 October), after a recent assessment showed it has a lower weight-bearing capacity than previously thought.
TfL is now in negotiations with the Department for Transport (DfT) to secure £50M to carry out a full repair of the flyover.
TfL director of network management Glynn Barton said: “Safety is our number one priority, which is why we are moving quickly to implement this important new weight restriction to keep our road network and everyone using it safe.
“We’re sorry for any disruption caused by the restriction and we will continue working on a long-term plan for the flyover’s future. I’d urge everybody driving through the area to check their journeys before they travel and ensure they comply with the new weight limit.”
The Flyover is 190m long and carries the A41 dual carriageway over the A406 North Circular in north London, in the Borough of Barnet.
Concerns about the condition of TfL’s ageing bridges and tunnels has been mounting over the past few years.
The capital’s transport operator has previously estimated that it needs a £2bn investment in its entire road network during the next 10 years to prevent key road bridges and tunnels from shutting.
Last year, TfL meeting agenda papers revealed that the cost of patching up London’s surface transport assets has increased by 762% during the last five years. This includes all bridges and tunnels in the Capital as well as River Thames crossings.
TfL attributes this increase to delays and budget cuts to its surface transport assets renewal programme, which includes major repair work to at risk structures including the Rotherhithe Tunnel, A40 Westway, Vauxhall Bridge and Hammersmith Bridge.
But TfL has also been accused by some corners of neglecting maintenance on these structures in the years preceding the pandemic.
Last July, the London Assembly called for a full investigation into the ownership of London’s tunnels and bridges.
As previously revealed by NCE, more money was spent developing plans for the failed Garden Bridge project than TfL has spent on maintaining 25 River Thames crossings during the last 10 years.
In total, TfL has spent just under £43M on maintaining Thames crossings since 2010 – some £10M less than the £53M spent developing plans for the Garden Bridge under Boris Johnson’s mayorship. (The total maintenance spend only accounts for capital expenditure by TfL and does not include any additional maintenance funding from local councils.)
During the same period, a further £13M was spent developing proposals for a bridge between Rotherhithe and Canary Wharf, before the plan was axed in 2019.
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https://www.newcivilengineer.com/latest/north-london-flyover-hit-with-weight-restrictions-and-needs-50m-repair-07-10-2022/
