Historic bridge restoration wins top industry awards

25 May 2023

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A project to restore a Staffordshire Grade II* listed road bridge has won a clutch of top industry awards.

Staffordshire County Council and Amey worked in partnership to restore the historic, cast iron Chetwynd bridge, near Alrewas.

The project team were recognised at both the CIHT West Midlands awards and the IHE Mercia Branch Awards. A delighted team received two awards at the recent CIHT West Midlands event for best innovation and environment and sustainability. They were also highly commended in the best small project category.

A further win at the IHE Mercia Branch Award, secured a trophy in the small project award category. These awards recognise projects that contribute to sustainable development, and the innovative use of technology, products and services.

Account Director for Amey, Richard Harris adds: “This is a fantastic achievement for the project team. We’re all delighted to work with Staffordshire County Council on this project and receive so much recognition for our work.”

Chetwynd Bridge is the largest surviving pre:1830s cast iron bridge in England and the second largest in the world. 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.

Taking eight months to complete, the site was also powered by solar energy and batteries, saving a total of 69.7 tonnes of CO2, equating to approximately £48K of fuel.

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.”

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