River Lea Crossing Refurbishment & Strengthening: A case study for refurbishment of an historic bridge

The River Lea Crossing was completed in 1934 and remains in service today, carrying the A13 in East London over a tributary to the River Thames. The crossing comprises a single two-pinned arch span of approximately 61m. The bridge is constructed of steel and is supported on huge mass concrete abutments. Due to the expectations that it was nearing the end of its service life the was planned to be replaced by 2030. An extensive programme of surveys, inspection, monitoring and assessment of the superstructure and substructure, going beyond the normal requirements of current inspection and assessment standards, demonstrated that the bridge could be retained and refurbished to considerably extend its serviceable life.

This paper presents a case study of the project providing an example for future bridge rehabilitation schemes, which will inevitably become more prevalent as the industry learns to make better use of existing assets and build less in response to the Climate Emergency.