TWO bridges which carry thousands of vehicles every day in Swansea have been given a new coat of paint to help them battle the elements.
Swansea Council has just completed the repainting of Ynys-y-Mond river bridge near Glais and has now turned its attention to Glais Bridge on Ffordd Cwm Tawe.
The latest work involves repainting the steel bridge beams along with the safety railings which feature on the 120-metre structure. The maintenance work will take around 20 weeks to complete.
Speed restrictions have been introduced along the route as a safety measure while the work is completed.
Cllr Mark Thomas, Cabinet Member for Environment and Transportation, said: “These works are vital to prolong the life of these important highway structures.
“The main aim is to ensure that these bridges function in the way they are supposed to and prevent them from deteriorating.”
In Swansea there are more than 200 bridges linked to the road network that are maintained by the council. Maintenance includes repainting, as well as strengthening some bridges to cope with heavy loads.
Cllr Thomas added: “Bridges form a vital part of our highway network and help link up communities. They provide a variety of uses such as foot bridges and cycleways as well as carrying motor vehicles.”
The latest maintenance work has been funded via the Local Government Borrowing scheme in which Swansea Council is investing more than £10 million into the improvement and upgrading of highway infrastructure.
The investment is also going towards upgrading Swansea’s 27,000 street lights to LED lights.
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