Posted on Wednesday 24th May 2023
A project to restore a Staffordshire Grade II* listed road bridge has won a clutch of top industry awards.
The project to restore the historic Chetwynd Bridge near Alrewas took eight months. The bridge is the largest surviving pre: 1830s cast iron bridge in England and the second largest in the world.
Now, the Staffordshire Highways has won two Chartered Institute for Highways and Transport (CIHT) West Midlands awards for their work on the project, as well as Small Project of Year at the IHE Mercia awards.
At the CIHT awards, the project team received the Best Innovation and Environment and Sustainability awards, while also being recognised as Highly Commended in the Best Small Project Award category.
The awards recognise projects that contribute to a sustainable development, and the innovative use of technology, products and services.
The site compound was powered by solar energy and batteries, saving a total of 69.7 tonnes of CO2, equating to around £48K of fuel.
Works to the bridge included a careful restoration of ironwork and sympathetic paintwork reinstatement. The team overcame challenges due to the age of the bridge and the discovery that the damage to the cast iron bridge was more severe than first thought.
Staffordshire County Councillor David Williams, Cabinet Member for Highways and Transport said:
“Chetwynd Bridge is listed and a historic asset to people in Staffordshire and neighbouring Derbyshire. Our careful restoration work will now ensure it is safe to use and in keeping with its historic status.
“The awards success for the county council and Amey is testament to the hard work crews put into what was, at times, a very tricky project to undertake. It is also good that our commitment to innovation and sustainability has been recognised too.”