I have, in the past, raised residents' requests that something is done to improve the appearance of the historic rail bridge that crosses the rail line at Riverside Drive, just south of the Botanic Garden (see right).
The bridge is over 100 years old (built in 1903) but has not been repainted in a very long time. When I asked the City Engineer in 2010 what the cost of repainting both sides of the bridge would be, he estimated the total cost could be as much as £65 000 (this included substantial Network Rail possession costs/interface costs of approximately £20,000 to ensure both sides of the bridge were painted) and in the current challenging financial climate this has proved a very challenging project to find finance for.
One bit of good news happened in the past few months. As part of other works in the area, Network Rail did a splendid job repainting the railings adjacent to the bridge.
I recently approached Community Payback to see if painting the road side only of the bridge might be a project Community Payback might consider, subject to the City Engineer's Department approving the works and providing appropriate paint. I am delighted to say that, in principle, both the City Engineer's Department and Community Payback have agreed to progress this.
Whilst this cannot be a full repaint including the rail side, it will provide for an aesthetic enhancement on the road side that is very welcome indeed.