MAJOR works are underway to carry out essential repairs on one of Leicester’s busiest flyovers.
Repairs are taking place on the Redhill Flyover, at Red Hill Circle on the northern outskirts of the city’s outer ring road.
It means a series of overnight closures during which the flyover itself will be closed to all traffic, enabling the ends of the bridge to be lifted slightly and for new bearings to be installed on the supports at each end.
The entire project will take around 10 weeks and costing £334,000 from the city council’s annual capital transport budget. The work is essential for the long-term stability and safety of the bridge, which carries thousands of cars every day on the A563.
Work began earlier this month, and will involve a series of overnight bridge closures, during which all traffic will be diverted onto Red Hill Circle itself.
The overnight closures will all take place from 8pm to 5am, and are as follows:
Friday, November 24, to Saturday, November 25.
Tuesday, December 19 to Wednesday, December 20.
Tuesday, January 9, to Friday, January 12 (three consecutive overnight closures, reopening at 5am on the Thursday.)
The flyover will remain open at all other times during the work.
In all, the repairs involve removing seized bridge bearings at both end of the bridge and replacing them with new ones. It means jacking the bridge up to free up the existing bearings so they can be removed and replaced with new bearings, before the bridge is lowered back into place once more.
The intricate work involves also replacing the bridge joints, repairing any damage to parapets and replacing a damaged lamp column.
Advance warning signs are being put in place on nearby approach roads, with diversions clearly marked.
Pedestrian access around the roundabout will be maintained as far as is safely possible, but there will be some restrictions around the areas being worked on, especially during material deliveries and waste removal.
Some temporary parking and loading restrictions may also be put in place on nearby roads to enable traffic to continue moving and for materials to be delivered.
Leicester deputy city mayor for climate, economy and culture, Cllr Adam Clarke, said: “The Redhill Flyover is an extremely busy part of Leicester’s road network connecting the A6, A563 and A46, and therefore needs to be able to handle thousands of cars, lorries and buses every single day.
“The bridge needs this essential maintenance to ensure it remains safe to meet modern transport demands for many more years to come.
“Work will take place over 10 weeks, with the flyover remaining open for the majority of the time. The series of overnight closures will take place where we have no option but to shut the flyover to traffic for the work to be carried out safely.
“We’ll make sure diversions using the roundabout at Red Hill Circle are clearly signposted and that drivers heading towards that junction from all directions are aware of these necessary repairs.”
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