Work on bridge near Gatwick finishes

West Sussex County Council say that the road surface was removed to expose the concrete deck on the busy bridge and then the waterproofing was replaced and the road resurfaced.

The repair team kept to the publicised timetable despite encountering the hidden challenges: there was an extra layer of thick concrete and remnants of the old bridge joint was embedded in the top of the deck and had to be cut out.

The bridge, which was built in the 1950s, was kept open throughout, with various lanes of dual carriageway closed in phases.

West Sussex County Council Cabinet Member for Highways and Infrastructure, Bob Lanzer, said: “This was a difficult and sensitive location on the busy A23 dual carriageway outside Gatwick’s north terminal.

“We did all we could to keep disruption to a minimum, including 24-hour working to try to minimise the overall time the repairs took and the programme was carefully timed in collaboration with Gatwick Airport to minimise disruption to airport traffic.

“A network of electronic messaging signs was also placed on the surrounding routes to provide the travelling public with updates.

“However, some delays and disruption couldn’t be avoided and we would like to thank the public for their patience and understanding during the work.”

The contractor for the project was Balfour Beatty and the works ran from September 18 to October 13.