Repairs to Gunnislake Newbridge are proving more challenging than expected and will have to continue into next week.
Work on the Grade One Listed Bridge was due to be completed today (Friday 6 September). However, steady rain throughout the week has caused the river level to rise and visibility in the water these past 48 hours has been extremely poor, hampering divers’ efforts to work safely under the water.
The bridge will be open to traffic this weekend, but the road will be closed again on Monday, from 9:30am to 3:30pm. Weather and conditions permitting, we expect to finish the repairs on Monday, and no further road closure should be required after that.
The damage to one of the bridge piers was caused earlier this year when it was hit by tree debris which had been swept into the River Tamar during a flood. The impact left a void measuring around 9ft x 6ft which was packed with concrete filled sandbags back in April as an emergency protective measure until water levels were low enough to carry out the current permanent repair.
The stone pier has now been fully repaired this week, and steel coverings added to the lower part of the cutwaters to protect the bridge from future damage.
Teams this week have also been removing more tree debris from the river, clearing vegetation from the bridge and patching the road surface.
During the daytime closure, an official signed diversion will be in place via the A390 Callington, A388, B3362, A390 and vice versa.