Technical experts have completed major structural works to a Southend bridge - without the public even noticing!

Engineers have been working since January on a £235,000 strengthening programme for the little-known bridge, which carries Victoria Avenue over Prittle Brook.

However, as detailed plans were drawn up it emerged that the busy road would have to be reduced to one lane for six weeks.

Borough officials, who realised this would cause massive disruption, challenged the contractors Johnston to come up with an alternative. And they did.

This involved sliding specially constructed concrete box sections under the bridge to carry the traffic load as the work got into full swing.

As a result, one lane of the north-bound section of Victoria Avenue had to be closed for just three days to divert sewers.

Councillor Jean Sibley, borough planning and transportation chairman, said: "This is a major engineering feat for everyone concerned.

"It was particularly good to note that this caused minimum disruption to motorists and local residents throughout the works. Some people have even said they didn't know there was a bridge there.

"It was also great that the only time the road had to be closed was for two minutes during the opening ceremony."

Danny Ballinger, the borough's operations group manager, said: "Since Southend Council became a unitary authority in 1998, the bridge assessment programme has continued.

"It was found that some bridges were unable to take 40-tonne lorries and the Victoria bridge, built in the 1920s, needed strengthening.

"Rather than using the cheapest option to replace the bridge, it was decided to use specialist equipment below the bridge so as to maintain the traffic flow in and out of Southend."

Police and council officers stopped the traffic for a short opening ceremony conducted by Southend's mayor and mayoress councillor Tony and Janet North.

It's a snip - Gary Mills, regional manager of Johnston Construction, and Southend's mayor, Tony North, help cut the tape that tells drivers the Victoria Bridge has just been rebuilt

Picture: MIKE NEVILLE

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.