The Bridge 27 renewal project is underway as the biggest civil engineering project for the railway.
NEWS
2nd to 13th September – works
Over the first two weeks of September, Volunteers and Contractors took to the work site to prepare for the new bridge span to be lowered into position.
Remove of the old bridge spans and middle support, exposing the pile caps and work on the foundations for the new bridge span, installing reinforced concrete onto top of the piles.
Alongside in the Wydean Car Park, contractors have been preparing the new bridge span ready for lifting into place.
Sunday 1st September – removal
The Bridge 27 Renewal Project got underway yesterday, within seconds of the last train passing over the bridge, with volunteers removing four track sections.
With the aid of the Bahamas Locomotive SocietyThe Bahamas Locomotive Society’s 50-ton steam helped remove the old bridge spans and prepare the area for further demolition works this week.
A huge thanks to Wyedean Weaving for access and car park use.
monday 29 august – Phase 2 – the job
The one-mile Haworth to Oxenhope section of the railway will be closed from Monday, September 2nd until Friday, September 20th while we complete the biggest-ever volunteer-led project, the replacement of the 135-year-old Bridge 27. The bridge carries the KWVR over Bridgehouse Beck, one of the River Worth’s main tributaries.
The worksite will be a hive of activity, Starting on the evening of 1st September, volunteers will remove the track, dismantle the existing bridge and re-expose the piles installed in May.
monday 13th to friday 24th may – Phase 1 – Piling Complete
After two weeks and twelve piles later, we are pleased to announce that all the piling works for the Bridge 27 Project are now complete. It’s been a challenging ten days of work for the contractor and volunteer workforce. From the break-in at the start of the job to numerous machinery breakdowns along the way, it hasn’t been an easy task, but one we are definitely pleased to see completed.
We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to Keller UK for their exceptional work in carrying out the piling works. Additionally, we express our gratitude to Ian Mitchell Plant Hire for providing the machines and skilled drivers throughout the period of works. Their dedication and professionalism have been invaluable to the success of the project
The Railway has now been handed back and is ready for Trains over the Bank Holiday Weekend
Sunday 14th to Saturday 20th April – Preperation
Work will take place around Bridge 27; firstly, the drainage in the area will be diverted away from the bridge and pilling areas will be cleared. The Pile Mat will then be installed; this is where the ground is compacted to take the weight of the piling rig and the forces it exerts on the ground. There will be lots of deliveries into the Wydean Weaving car park, but we do not expect any disruption to Wydean Weaving, who is aware of this.
Work hours are expected to be from 8.00 am until 6.00 pm every day, apart later working on from Sunday 14th and Friday 19th April.
tuesday 26th march
3D model images to showcase what Bridge 27 will look like once completed by designer Cass Hayward.
MONDAY 22ND JANUARY
The timeline for the renewal works has been updated, with some more definite dates.
Tuesday 31st October
Now that the civil week is over, the KWVR’s civil engineering team is focusing most of our efforts on the upcoming renewal of Bridge 27. Works to further investigate the existing abutments and mystery culvert to the south of the structure were delayed in September as we did not receive the required permits in time; we were always pushing it to get on site in September. This work is now planned for the 5th to the 10th of November and will involve removing the track and exposing the culvert, along with establishing the location of the foundations of the cottages which used to be present where the track is now.
All work will be completed on days other than Sunday, when the track will be removed between 6 and 7 p.m.
Elsewhere, the approval of the principle design has been completed and will be finalised shortly. After that, the hard work begins to start engaging with contractors and getting all our plans in place for delivery in 2024. In the early new year, you will see changes in the area around bridge 26, with the yard lamps taken down as they will be in the way of the cranes and piling rigs, our overhead telegraph route will need diverting, and the gate into Wydean car park widened—lots to do before we even start building the new bridge.
We have also recently been reminded as to why we are going for the longer more expensive span with the railway inches away from flooding again during Storm Babet.
GALLERY
A selection of images featuring Bridge 27, including renewal during 1976, the floods from 2020 and upcoming designs.
