Bridges old and new
Paddington bridges
A new long bridge now spans the canal and fourteen railway lines outside Paddington station.
An unexpected discovery
At an early stage of the project engineers discovered the arches of a bridge over the canal designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel and built in 1838.
The remaining parts of the old bridge have been recovered and stored in the hope that it will be possible to use the parts to create a footbridge over the canal in time for the 200th anniversary of Brunel's birth in 2006.
Lifting out the old to make way for the new
While the new railway bridge was taking shape, the old bridge over the tracks was been lifted up 10 metres on temporary towers. Once the new bridge was finished the original bridge was be lowered onto the new structure before being rolled away and demolished well away from the rail tracks.
Submitted by: Andrew Hunt, 21 January 2007
