It’s great news for cyclists and pedestrians wanting to cross the floating harbour at Temple Quay, Bristol, as the Meads Reach Bridge re-opens following essential repair works.
Part of the Bristol to Bath cycle path, the Meads Reach Bridge suffered extensive damage in September 2017 when a lorry attempted to drive across it.
Constructed from stainless steel and weighing 75 tonnes, the 55m long bridge links the city centre with Temple Quay and Temple Meads Station.
Built in 2008, the bridge, designed by Niall McLaughlin Architects, was awarded a Royal Institute of British Architecture award the following year.
Vicki Williams, at Avison Young Property Management Consultancy, managing the Temple Quay estate on behalf of Glass Wharf Management Company says, “We’re delighted that Meads Reach Bridge is now open again to cyclists and pedestrians, returning the crossing to this stretch of the floating harbour.”
Such was the extent of the damage caused, the stainless-steel deck panels of the bridge needed to be replaced. Following settlement of the resulting insurance claim, panels were fabricated by specialist contractors off site, and then reassembled in situ.
Vicki continues, “We’d like to thank users of the bridge for their patience while the repairs have been completed. It’s been absolutely essential that the repairs have been carried out to the highest standards by contractors expert in this type of bridge construction. We’re now very pleased to return the bridge to its rightful position as a popular cycle and pedestrian route.”
The design of the bridge, which is illuminated at night, picks up light from both the sky and water, so changing with the weather and the time of day. The bridge is known locally as the “cheesegrater” because of the thousands of holes perforated in its sides.