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Published on Monday 16 December 2019

The Twin Sails Bridge has been brought back into operation following the successful completion of works to replace one of the main bearing pivot-pins.

Requiring the bridge to be kept in the down position, this phase of the repair works was carried out in the challenging working marine environment of Poole Harbour during a scheduled closure of the Backwater Channel.

Works involved the replacement of a main bearing pivot-pin, which is made of high-grade steel and weighs nearly half a tonne. A complex and precision piece of engineering, the main bearing pivot-pin, combined with ancillary parts and bearing assembly, amounted to approximately two tonnes of replacement materials.

During the replacement process, an independent specialist was present alongside contractors and BCP Council engineers to carry out an ongoing review of the lifting mechanism over the longer term. Work will continue to fully rectify the issues with the bridge following the outcome of the independent review.

Councillor Andy Hadley, Cabinet Member for Transport and Infrastructure at BCP Council, said:

"I would like to thank our residents for putting up with the disruption, but especially thank all those who have been working incredibly hard over the past few weeks through high winds, rain and low temperatures to bring the bridge back into operation. Whilst this is good news to residents ahead of the holiday season, we must make it clear that more works are still required to fully repair the bridge. Our next priority is to ensure we have a longer-term solution to the issues affecting Twin Sails and we apologise for the inconvenience this has caused.’’

Twin Sails Bridge will run on the currently advertised lifting schedule until further notice.

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