Contractor appointed for new pedestrian and cycle scheme on Laira Rail Bridge

Plymouth City Council has appointed South West Highways as the main contractor on its iconic Laira Rail Bridge pedestrian and cycle scheme.

Cabinet members have given the green light following a detailed tender evaluation and contracts are due to be signed early next month, following a statutory ‘standstill’ period.

The £3.5 million scheme will refurbish and convert the disused Laira Rail Bridge to provide a new alternative shared pedestrian and cycle route across the River Plym, to complement the existing route on Laira Road Bridge.

It will link existing walking and cycling facilities running parallel to The Ride, east of the river, with the existing Laira Cycleway immediately west of the river and form part of the existing National Cycle Network (NCN) Route 27.

The scheme will draw on the £4.33 million provided by the Department for Transport’s Local Sustainable Transport Fund for the Council’s three-year Plymotion project.

Built in 1887, the Laira Rail Bridge stopped carrying passenger trains in the 1960s and freight trains in the 1980s. It is believed the last train crossed the bridge in 1987 and since then it has fallen into disrepair.

The pedestrian and cycle scheme will see the rail bridge repaired and refurbished to once again provide a useful transport link for the city. Works will include repairing and strengthening the fabric of the bridge structure and removing old timbers and rail tracks, along with an abandoned gas main.

A new deck and parapets will be installed to accommodate pedestrians and cyclists, including a steel access ramp at the eastern end of the bridge and a new length of cycleway linking the bridge to the existing Laira cycleway at the western end. Lighting will also be installed along the length of the bridge and cycleway ramp.

Councillor Mark Coker, Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “These are really exciting plans that will breathe new life into Laira Rail Bridge and we’re delighted to be welcoming South West Highways on board. The bridge has been lying dormant for over 20 years so it will be great to see it refurbished and brought back into use as an important link for cyclists and walkers.”

Works are expected to start in February or March and finish in March 2015. Further details will be announced soon but the majority of the works will take place off-road, away from busy traffic routes, so there should be minimal disruption to the highway network.

For further information about the scheme visit www.plymouth.gov.uk/plymotionlairarailbridge