Network Rail begins £1.5m renovation of 140-year-old Salkeld Street bridge in Glasgow city centre

Network Rail has begun a £1.5m project to repair and repaint a 140-year-old railway bridge in Glasgow city centre.

The works, part of a wider programme to repair bridges near Glasgow Central station, have started on the Salkeld Street bridge and will continue until March next year.

Engineers will complete rivet busting, which involves the removal and replacement of the rivets that hold the steel in place, as well as steelwork repairs and painting.

Ballast retention work will also be undertaken, which will see measures put in place to stop ballast – the stone which holds the rails in place – escaping and falling from the structure.

A lane closure will be in place on the northbound road underneath the bridge for the rest of October.

As work switches to the east side until later in November, a southbound single-lane closure will be put in place.

Network Rail confirmed that scaffolding will surround the bridge to ensure safe passage for pedestrians and cyclists, and the bridge’s metalwork will be cleaned and assessed.

Christina Thomson, scheme project manager, Network Rail, said: “The essential maintenance and renewals work at Salkeld Street bridge helps Network Rail continue to run a safe and reliable railway throughout Glasgow and the surrounding areas.

“This vital work will not only improve the look of the 140-year-old bridge, it will also extend its lifespan for up to two decades.

“We appreciate the impact our activity will have on those living closest to the bridge and while we will do all we can to minimise this, we are limited in terms of what measures can be put in place to mitigate against some the nosier elements generated by the heavier engineering, such as the rivet busting activity.

“We are grateful to the community for their patience while we complete this significant improvement work.”

The works are part of a wide-ranging bridge modernisation programme aimed at protecting and improving Scotland’s Railway, with over £1.95bn being invested to increase reliability and improve performance.