Countess of Chester Hospital bridge demolition to begin this weekend
Patients and visitors are being warned of temporary road closures and diversions at the Countess of Chester Hospital as work begins to remove its distinctive blue link bridge.
By Cheshire Live
Work to demolish the distinctive blue link bridge at the Countess of Chester Hospital will begin this weekend, bringing temporary changes to vehicle and pedestrian access across the site.
The removal will take place over two weekends, on September 19 and 20 and again on September 26 and 27.
Work is expected to run from around 6am until 6pm on each of the four days.
A large crane will be operating as part of the demolition, requiring temporary road closures and pedestrian diversions around the bridge and main hospital entrance.
Both public car parks will remain open, but patients and visitors are being advised to allow additional time because some of the usual routes through the hospital site will not be available.
Access to the Emergency Department, Same Day Emergency Care and the Women and Children’s Building will be from the rear entrance to the hospital site, opposite the Little Owl pub on Countess Way.
Signs and diversions will be in place to direct motorists and pedestrians.
Bus services which normally travel through the hospital grounds will also be diverted around the outside of the site during the work.
Bus stops on Countess Way and Liverpool Road will remain in use.
The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said pedestrians should allow extra time for their journeys while the restrictions are in place.
Removal of the blue bridge forms part of a wider transformation of the hospital campus.
The bridge previously connected buildings around the former Women and Children’s Building, which is being removed as part of a major redevelopment programme.
The former building contains reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete, commonly known as RAAC, and the hospital has previously installed temporary structural supports while replacement facilities were constructed.
A new Women and Children’s Building has since opened as part of the redevelopment.
The wider programme to replace facilities affected by RAAC and remove the former building has received £110 million through the national NHS RAAC programme.
Once the old building is removed, the hospital trust intends to consider how the space can be used to support future healthcare services.
For this weekend, however, the main impact for patients and visitors will be the temporary changes to movement around the hospital.
The hospital’s estates team will oversee the bridge demolition, with normal access expected to resume outside the scheduled working periods.