Project : Royal Albert Bridge Saltash

Client : Railtrack Great Western Project Delivery

The Royal Albert Bridge is one of the most famous structures on the Great Western Zone, connecting Devon and Cornwall across the Tamar River. It was built by Isambard Kingdom Brunel, in 1853 as part of his scheme to extend the Great Western Railway from Bristol to Penzance.

Brunel's design for the Royal Albert Bridge, Saltash, consists of two wrought iron trusses each spanning 465 feet and weighing 1,000 tons with a clear headway for river traffic of 100 feet. The underwater portion of the central pier is a cylinder, 35 feet in diameter, and the base is 80 feet below high water. It was opened by the Prince Consort in 1859 shortly before Brunel's death and it still carries all the rail traffic to Penzance.

Mowlem Rail in conjunction with Mowlem Civil Engineering have been contracted to reinstate the bridge to its original Permanent Way Design by removing the existing sleepered track and reinstating new longitudinal rail timbers.

The first phase of the project was undertaken during Easter 2002 with the remaining work being undertaken during the Christmas Period 2002/2003.
It is a complicated project requiring the input of several specialist subcontractors under the direction of Mowlem.

The work is on schedule for successful completion within forecast cost and on time to the satisfaction of the client.