Ringway Shropshire helps restore Aston Bridge

Ringway Shropshire has helped restore a number of bridges in the county.

Among the bridges requiring critical structural work in the county was Aston Bridge which carries the Lee Brockhurst to Wem Road over the River Roden, near Wem. Built in 1841, the downstream (eastern) face of Aston Bridge was leaning so badly, it was at risk of toppling over.

Careful design and construction of a propping system was required by sub-contractor Erect-a-Scaffold before Ringway could safely start work. The team took down the whole parapet and spandrel walls, right down to the arch ring. The bridges western parapet wall was also taken down and rebuilt, while masonry repairs were carried out on the abutment walls.

Specially selected Myddle stone was cut on site to fit the blocks that needed replacing, the team worked for nine weeks over the summer to complete this intricate work, during which time the bridge was closed to traffic.

Claire Wild, Shropshire Council cabinet member for highways, said: “It’s great to see such effort and skill go into restoring a historic bridge like this.

Local councillor for Wem, Chris Mellings, said: “This is an historic bridge of great character. We have been concerned for some time about its state and are obviously delighted the repairs have been carried out so sympathetically by Ringway.”

Chris Waldie, Ringway Shropshire divisional manager, added: “This is a specialist job and I have to say, the whole team have done a cracking job on Aston Bridge. Well done to all those involved.”

As well as the scaffold team, Ringway Supervisor and Blockmason Mike Hughes worked together with subcontractors Mike Eyke & Sons (Blockmason) and Paul Arrowsmith (Stonemason) on the project.