Massive paint job for Salford Quays Millennium bridge

manchestereveningnews.co.uk:

As Lowry paint jobs go it's seems to be a snip. But this is not an oil on canvass or watercolour. The white pedestrian bridge spanning the Manchester Ship Canal between Salford and Trafford, named after the artist, is to be spruced up.

The iconic structure, also known as the Salford Quays Millennium bridge, was constructed in 2000 at a cost £6m. The project started in 1998 and was managed and designed by Parkman Ltd of Manchester, with Carlos Fernandez Casado as subcontract architect and engineer who designed the main span.

But it has only had minor, routine maintenance work since. Now it is to be repainted and refurbished at a cost of £777,480. READ MORE: Join the FREE Manchester Evening News WhatsApp community Councillor Mike McCusker, lead member for planning, transport and sustainable development, for Salford council, said: "Routine inspection work has shown that the bridge needs work to extend its lifespan and prevent more costly work in the future.

National road and bridge guidelines say paintwork should be renewed every 20 years to protect the structure so the Lowry Bridge is due its facelift. "It’s also an opportunity to repair lighting and the deck surface which is now rather worn after 23 years of heavy foot traffic.