A one-of-a-kind sliding canal bridge in Keadby near Scunthorpe has seen a nine-day programme of work completed today, Monday the 26th of February.

The impressive project got underway on the 17th of February and saw over 100 engineers working around the clock to strengthen the canal’s north wall with a 24.5-tonne pre-cast concrete slab.

The project involved the draining of the Stainforth and Keadby Canal, which was done using a limpet dam which was placed on the side of the canal wall and created a watertight seal enabling the essential work to take place safely.

Engineers also carried out replacement to rail and trackside equipment alongside replacing wooden beams which the bridge’s old rails sat on, with metal supports.

Further work also saw 200m of the new rails given a special coating and painted white so that they absorb less heat during the summer months.

During the project, work was also carried out at nearby Althorpe station including work on the structure of the platforms, alongside the start of work to replace the station’s 108-year-old footbridge with a brand-new bridge which is expected to open this April.

Work at the station also saw the installation of a temporary structure which will allow passengers to access both platforms during the period of work.

The historic bridge’s origins date back to 1866 and converted to a sliding bridge in 1925 by Sir William Arrol of Dalmarnock. The bridge keeps passengers and freight on the move between Doncaster, Scunthorpe and the Lincolnshire coast and marks one of the UK’s busiest freight routes.

The project aims to provide smoother and more reliable travel for rail passengers and freight services whilst supporting the line’s resilience into the future.

The last nine days has seen an incredible amount of hard work from our teams as they carried out a large-scale programme of improvements to the sliding bridge, railway, and canal wall in Keadby.

These vital upgrades will improve reliability and deliver smoother journeys for passenger and freight services for years to come, and by replacing old with new will result in less maintenance-related disruption.

Carrying out this work over nine continuous days is more efficient and means less disruption to services than access on multiple weekends, and I would like to thank passengers and freight users for their patience and understanding while the work has been carried out.

Sean Ellerby, Scheme Project Manager for Network Rail