Highways England has picked Amey for a 15-year Specialist Bridge Inspection and Maintenance contract for Avonmouth and Severn Bridges.
The contract, worth around US$21 million a year and starting in November, will see Amey also manage two major structures apart from the 1.6km-long M48 Severn Bridge which spans the Severn River Estuary – the second highest tidal range in the world at 14.5m.
Amey will maintain the 1.4km-long M5 Avonmouth Bridge – an elevated section of the M5 motorway – and the 5.2km-long M4 Prince of Wales Bridge, part of the M4 motorway.
Amey will be responsible for maintenance, daily structure inspection checks and safety patrols as well as responding to any incidents that impact the structural integrity of all the bridges.
The contract will involve the transfer of around 60 engineering employees, all bringing to Amey a wealth of knowledge and experience of the three structures.
“Amey will bring a innovative operational solutions and capabilities regarding bridge infrastructure,” said Peter Anderson, Amey’s managing director for transport infrastructure.
Amey, owned by Spanish group Ferrovial, manages other bridges in the UK including the Forth Road Bridge in Scotland.
The M48 Severn Bridge, a suspension structure, was opened in 1966 and for 30 years it carried the M4 motorway between England and Wales. But in 1996, the cable-stayed and segmental Second Severn Crossing, officially the Prince of Wales Bridge, was completed further down river as part of a rerouting of the M4 motorway.
The older M48 Severn Bridge now carries what is essentially an M4 spur motorway.
