The bridge will be closed to road traffic, including cyclists and pedestrians, from 7am. During the closure Poole Bridge will operate as normal with minimal disruption to marine traffic expected.
The works to be undertaken include annual preventative maintenance, some minor repairs and some general cleaning tasks. These include:
- High voltage supply – inspection and safety checks.
- Hydraulics – annual service involving changing fluid and breather filters as well as checking numerous valves and controls for correct operation.
- Electrical – replacing failed LEDs, road studs and lamps in the various lighting systems.
- Control systems – checks and adjustments.
- Cleaning the stainless steel finishes in order to maintain the high quality appearance of the structure.
John Rice, Engineering Manager, Borough of Poole, said: "It is important that we keep our lifting bridges operating efficiently and reliably in the long term and this means carrying out annual preventative maintenance in a planned way. By closing the Twin Sails Bridge outside of peak times in the year we will be able to minimise disruption to residents who will always have one bridge available."
The planned maintenance arrangements for Poole's two lifting bridges are being implemented as:
- Both bridges require regular essential maintenance to reduce the risk of breakdowns, minimise the risk of expensive repairs and maintain public safety
- It is becoming increasingly expensive to undertake work overnight
- External suppliers who carry out maintenance of the control systems, hydraulics and high voltage electrical equipment maintenance specialists can be booked in advance
- Working in March or April and September avoids winter weather conditions which can delay the progress of works as well as avoiding disruption during the busy summer period
- One bridge will still be available for road users
The annual closure of Poole Bridge will take place in September for up to one week.
In addition, Borough of Poole is working with Dorset Fire and Rescue Service on a rescue exercise from one of the main piers which will involve a number of fire appliances and the release of smoke in a plant room.
John Rice, Engineering Manager, Borough of Poole, said: “Please do not be alarmed if you witness lots of blue flashing lights on the bridge and smoke drifting from one of the piers. The purpose of the exercise is to test our procedures and help the Fire and Rescue Service test their ability to react to a real emergency situation.”
