Work on Teign Estuary Viaduct to finish ahead of schedule

A £3 million repair scheme on the Teign Estuary Viaduct is due to be completed ahead of schedule.

Devon County Council has announced that the county’s biggest bridge is expected to be fully open by Saturday 19 December.

An extensive repair scheme has been ongoing at the 40 year old viaduct since May in order to replace a failed expansion joint at the north end of the bridge.

Finishing work will be carried out over the coming weeks with the outside lane closed northbound from today (Tuesday 1 December) to Friday 4 December in order to reinstate the central reservation barrier.

From Monday 7 December to Friday 18 December the inside lane will be completely closed northbound 24 hours a day, while the inside lane southbound will be closed from 10am to 4pm.

Councillor Stuart Hughes, Devon County Council Cabinet Member for Highway Management, said: “I’m sure everyone will be pleased to hear that work on the viaduct is finishing ahead of schedule. Everyone involved with the scheme should be thanked for pulling out all the stops to ensure this scheme is completed before Christmas, and thanks also to members of the public for bearing with us and complying with the speed restrictions throughout the work. Everything possible has been done to keep traffic flowing while work has been carried out and the viaduct is now back in excellent condition.”

Councillor Gordon Hook, local County Councillor for Newton Abbot South, said: “I am certain all users will welcome the news that it is now safe to travel across the bridge, and due to the quality of work undertaken, likely to remain so for many years to come. Devon needs sustainable and safe transport links, and Newton Abbot can only benefit by the early and satisfactory completion of this project.”

As well as replacing the expansion joint, the scheme has involved waterproofing the 10,000 square metre bridge deck, replacing the highway drainage system and resurfacing the section of road.

The speed limit will remain at 30mph for the remainder of the scheme.

South West Highways Ltd (SWH) has been carrying out the work on the bridge on behalf of the County Council.