Months of roadworks ahead on busy Sheffield route

Council contractor Amey is refurbishing the two bridges which form the flyover on Western Bank, as part of the Streets Ahead highways scheme, in a project expected to last 22 weeks.

A contraflow system will be put in place overnight on Sunday, ready for the start of the work on Monday.

A council spokeswoman said: “The existing bearings which support the bridge decks need to be replaced as they are well beyond their normal service life.

“This involves breaking out the concrete surrounding the bearings , reconstructing the area and inserting new bearings.

“During this process we need to remove traffic from the bridge deck which requires us to install contraflow working on Western Bank for the duration of the works. The majority of the work will be taking place below the bridge.”

She added: “As part of the bridge refurbishment we will also be carrying out some minor concrete repairs, replacing the expansion joints, re-waterproofing and resurfacing the bridge.”

The council will be working closely with Sheffield University to ‘minimise the impact of the work’, the spokeswoman said.

The bridge crosses over the university’s busy pedestrian concourse, which will remain open for the duration of the project, which coincides with a package of roadworks on Western Bank designed to make the campus easier to get around for students and staff.

A new central crossing on Western Bank is set to be used from this weekend, following the testing of replacement traffic lights.