in 1970 a tempory bridge was installed in my town, this bridge was "reviewed" every 5 years and the same excuse "theres no money left, here have this £15 million art centre that will only be used for 8 months", the bridge collapsed in 2013 and the council suddenly had the money for the bridge .... except the bridge now costs 12x the price, 18 months and £41 million later .... we got a brand new 22 foot long suspention bridge .... which had to be replaced 6 months later as it could not even hold a 7 ton truck without it flexing out of its joints, a further £22 million was spent in replacing it with a solid bridge, so there you have it, use a temp bridge for to long and it'll end up costing £63 million quid
@@jovetj This is a case of incompetency rather than bureaucracy, every single council in the UK is the same. People vote for a party, they have no idea who they're giving power so 9 times out of 10 it ends up being some moron that hasn't got a clue what they're doing
Just when thought I'd been marked safe from any more of those effing awful "Elf On a Shelf" variants, Jon comes along with a blinder. Bridge on a Fridge. Top marks, sir.
The Lewisham Rail Crash in Dec 1957 destroyed the bridge that carried the Nunhead to Lewisham line over the lines out of London Bridge. Over the following month, they built a temporary "Bailey Bridge" to get things going again. Still there. Still being used 66 years later.
Anything built not intended to be permanent is therefore temporary no matter how long it is there. The Eiffel Tower was not intended to be permanent nor was the Crystal Palace but that was moved.
At Langwathby near penrith the stone bridge was washed away in 1968 and replaced by a second hand girder bridge (it was about 10 years old) . You’ve guessed right: it’s still there 56 years later. It’s what councils do: waste money on vanity projects while important things get sidelined. Great video!
It’s a bit different, though, given that the bridge is a public good, available for the public to use. It’s not like they’re getting a waiver for planning permission on something private.
@@pwithnall It's only different because *you* have chosen to categorize it that way, and because 'public good, private bad' is subjective. Does a supermarket deliver any "good, available for the public to use" or is it only poor-value goods delivered by incompetent people that qualify as 'public'? And how exactly does endless derogation from the law benefit the public when it's elected buffoons but not when it's someone with merit?
You have to look at this one objectively though. Every 5 years the council has to draw up a justification for extending the temporary planning permission. They have to apply to their own planning department for that permission. They have to assess it. They have to have a planning review meeting. They have to check that the structure of the bridge will last the duration of the proposed temporary extension. They have to draw up an action plan for replacing the temporary bridge with a permanent one. And then 5 years further on they have to do the same thing again. And again, And again. It's no wonder they haven't got any money. 😁
Oh, the poor darlings. I feel soooo sorry for them! Not. I mean, props to someone for making a five year -mission- bridge sturdy enough to last over 5 times that long. But, still.
What about the A686 Bridge over the river Eden near Langwathby in Cumbria the temporary bridge that was put up to solve the problem of a bridge collapse in 1968 is still there still one lane only controled by traffic lights.
A "Mechano" bridge was first installed over the Ivel at Biggleswade in 1939. Replacement began in 1999, not completed until 2001 ... an impressive 60-plus years later!
In my programming life I was aware that there was always time to hash something up and do the proper thing later and later never happened. After I learnt this I resisted all the "just do it quick for now" requests.
Just an FYI, the Roding is said "Road-ing". There is also an area north of here known as the Rodings containing loads of smaller villages like High Roding, Aythorpe Roding, Leaden Roding and White Roding. All a nod to the little tiny river in the area :) Edit - Read the thread, I did a project on this area way back when!
You are quite correct……. or not 🎉 It is largely known as “Road-ing” as you state……… However, in Old Essex parlance the villages, of which there are many, are the Roothings……. even stated on one or two road signs……. 🇬🇧🙂
@@iancharlton678I'm entirely correct as I'm talking about the current time, not 1500 years ago :) If we are trying to be a cleaver clogs about it, they were recorded as many things over time. Founded by Hroda (The d is actually said 'th'", they would have been Row-th-ings, or "Ruh-things, think scandi muted uh). By the Domesday book they had already become "Roinges, Rodinges". But then, by 1300 odd they had morphed further into some wacky versions like Roothing, Rodynge and my personal favourite, Roodinge! Roothing is actually a relatively late, single entry onto their historical name bastardisation. And I never thought the project I did at School (Bishops Stortford, near Aythorpe/High Roding), would be of interest but here we are!
@@sheilamorrison1954 calm yourself down. Not a cleaver clogs nor a clever clogs. Merely pointing out what the Old boy Essex Farming folk use and what’s written on the road signs…… and yes, farming have I done, ears open they were, age have I gained. It was a polite, bordering on friendly comment. I try to avoid keyboard jousting. Working in the Ro(a)dings for a few decades, I use Ro(a)ding……… 🙂
There was an East German saying: "Nothing in this country lasts longer than a temporary fix." PS: Temporary fix is one of the few times where it is shorter in German: "Porvisorium"
@@gelber_kaktus or - and hear me out there - it exists in many languages! MIND BLOWN! "Nichts haelt laenger als ein Provisorium" does not sound very Russian to me.
We've had temporary traffic lights in the middle of Chapel en le Frith, Derbyshire for at least 5 years now. Put up because of a bulging wall in a house that was "in imminent danger of collapse." Still hasn't collapsed, mind you and the bulge has been there, never changing, in this 18th Century cottage for at least my 55 years on this planet. But obviously the Council knows best... apparently.
I just love Jon's wit. I live in the US, not sure when or if I'll ever get to the UK, but if I do I'll be watching every bridge and overpass to see if I recall seeing them in Jon's videos. Great stuff! HIGHLY ENTERTAINING!
There is a temporary fly over railway bridge built by the army in 1953, at Lewisham to take trains from lewisham up and over to the up main fast lines to london bridge, waterloo east and charing cross and to cannon street. Still in use today, 70 years later.
in the 1990s you'd have had to visit the A494 at Drws-y-Nant where temporary traffic lights installed whilst one side of the road crumbled into the river lasted twenty years
The amount of times I've been over that bridge in the truck and thought to myself. Sure there must be a weight limit in it as I feel like it would give way any time soon.
There are flyovers on the A13 and A127 roads in Essex that were also similarly designed to be temporary but are still there decades later; they were made in three sections so have humps you bump over either side of the flat middle section
Great little find, there's a lot of old former railway infrastructure on cycling routes close to me - it's amazing how many bridges and viaducts there are which were definitely built to last but probably saw fewer years of service than this 'temporary' structure has.
@@simontay4851 Like this one. www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/index.php?title=File:Old_Invergarry_Bridge_-_close_aerial_from_W.jpg (I agree - most of them do last well though.)
The crazy issue with councils is that, for the majority of their budgets, they can't carry monies over each financial year - so if they can't or don't have the money within one financial year, then it won't happen. It's also why, in q4, you get crazy spending on things after Christmas as budget money has to be spent or be lost.
That sort of thing happens in private firms too. If you don't for some reason spend your budget one year in your department then next year your budget will be reduced, so you make sure to spend your whole budget every year. I blame the bean counters.
@@A_Haunted_Pancake It means that not only does it revert back to the central government, then your next budget gets cut because you didn't spend all of your money last time. The same thing happens in the private sector too, it is just that no one is looking too close.
Councils these days have so much less money than they used to that any surplus in the budget is a very rare thing. It's more likely that officials will be told to defer spending until the new financial year. With capital budgets though (e.g. for new bridges) there's more flexibility to carry over between years, because by their nature, building takes time and is harder to constrain within years. (I mean after they've been started!)
Another "temporary" solution by Essex County Council was the Army and Navy flyover in Chelmsford, as a temporary solution to congestion that was there for around 30 years. It was only taken down the other year as it was deemed to dangerous for road users, and causing accidents since it was a one way road whose direction changed throughout the day. A consultation is currently ongoing to solve the traffic issue, and the leading solution is to convert the Army and Navy into a hamburger roundabout.
I always found the Army & Navy flyover a bit bizarre. The roundabout allowed the A12 & A130 to cross each other. The A12 was by far the busier of the 2, so the flyover helped out the A130. I guess it made more sense several years later when the A12 bypass was built.
Man... Essex sure has its own definition for temporary. I mean... 50 years? Even romans with their definition of "durable construction" ending up lasting millennia wouldn't dare call that temporary...
Second I saw the thumbnail I knew this was going to be entertaining. That bridge is even more fun when half of it is shut for works, so you've got the entirety of the A128 on one side of the road. What larks. Garden centre just south of it is a handy place for a post queue pee.
In Carmarthen town there was a "temporary" Bailey Bridge put in place, it was there close to 30 years ish before it was taken down. Not motorway related but I thought you'd appreciate the activity.
Great story. It’s a bit like the Digbeth flyover in Birmingham sometimes referred to as the camp hill flyover. Constructed in 30hrs one weekend in 1961, it too was to be temporary 28 years later, the same company that constructed it got to tear it down. So like yours John, temporary is really any length of time you care to say.
For a touch of international flavour, the Fremantle Traffic Bridge in Western Australia was completed in 1939. It is a four lane 219m long wooden structure, and is finally now scheduled for replacement in 2026.
Seeing a permanent temporary solution and Essex in the same breath was the least surprising bit. One day, in the not too distant future, Essex will be the only burg 100% substantiated by temporary structures.
Has it really been that long? I know that "temporary" bridge pretty well. For a true display of Essex County Council urgency, try the temporary traffic lights on the bridge over the A12 south of Witham. They have been there at least 5 years..
You need to have a look at Gallows Corner Flyover, that’s a one up one down flyover over a large roundabout at the junction of the A12 and A127, it was built in 1970, but is “temporary” it’s been shut numerous times for repairs and deck replacement.
I live about half a mile from said temporary bridge and each time I cross it I do one of two things. 1 - laugh about how long its been there, or 2 - use the additional twists in the road as a bit of a chicane (other traffic allowing of course).
Thanks for this video; I used to frequently cross this bridge and wondered why the road had been diverted onto a new bridge and the old one left standing. What you didn't mention was the speed limit decrease that has been imposed because of the chicane and lane narrowing that the temporary bridge created. I still occasionally go this route as my parents live in the area still. I am long over being irritated by the road layout and am completely unsurprised by your explanation of supposed lack of funds to replace essential infrastructure properly!. Its funny though that during the time this temporary bridge has been in existence, enough money has been found to re lay both Ongar High Street and Brentwood High Street [both towns at opposing ends of this stretch of the A128] and large sections of pavements with expensive natural cobbles and natural stone, replacing what were perfectly serviceable surfaces with Expensive ones that have now failed and are sunken in many area's!!! Again Thanks for this and also your other video's Highlighting the incompetence and bad management of our authorities.
Same with Hoe Mill Bridge, Woodham Walter, in Essex. The bridge needs replacing but they have kept it in place with a 2 metre width restriction and a 3 ton limit. The width restrictions are so tight, I have seen many a large car come unstuck.
There was a bailey bridge at Irvine on the A71 we used to drive over a lot. It was also temporary but was always there every time we went to Irvine for the annual boat jumble and was quite fun driving across. It was Khaki green if I remember. I've not been there for some time though and just now looked it up. It's been sneakily replaced, apparently after 38 years. The new bridge is now called the Foulertoun Bridge but the locals still call it the Bailey Bridge out of habit.
I have quite often passed over that bridge having idea that it was a temporary bridge, but I did always wonder why the road was laid out like that. Another great and informative video Jon.
Reminds me of a bridge on the South Deeside Road in Aberdeenshire (Tilbouries Burn?). A post war concrete bridge was found to be defective in the eighties, so all traffic including HGVs was re-routed via the original centuries old stone bridge that was still holding up just fine.
On the south side of Witham, a slip road leading onto the A12 has a supposedly temporary traffic light, where the defective bridge or parapet means that half the road is closed. It's been there for over 4 years.
Yup, I live just up the road. They "refurbished" it last year with new surface on the metal deck and repaint following sustancial repairs on the railings.
Around here there is a road repair patch with "TEMP" spray painted on it. It's been there so long that the coulcil have repainted the road markings over it.
When you look at the A120 fiasco and the Raleigh Weir underpass that took longer to complete than the Channel Tunnel it's no surprise they won't attempt a bridge! 😂
ปีที่แล้ว +3
Gallows Corner flyover was constructed as a temporary structure in...1970. It now carries a 20mph speed limit.
Prague had a temporary tramway/trolley bridge serving several trolley lines from 1981 to 2013, even though the original intent was just a few years while other things were constructed, but it stayed in service due to convenience, and only got replaced by permanent bridge constructed between 2010 and 2013. Ste steel box sections were used as a temporary road bridge elsewhere, and were put into storage for possible future use as their condition was apparently surprisingly good. So in infrastructure terms "temporary" is a bit longer than in real life.
Walton on Trent. A temporary bailey bridge was built that was so temporary it wore out and they had to replace it. With another temporary bridge. A housing developer is supposed to be paying for a proper bridge but of course they've been allowed to get out of it so the madness continues
Take a look at the Chiswick flyover at the Hogarth roundabout, in west London. Apparently when it was constructed in 1969 it was meant to be up for only six months.... it still stands to this day!
You should have a look at Gallows Corner, Romford, Essex where the A12 , A127 meet. I don't go that way now , but the flyover was meant to be temporary , and was still there a few years ago !
Don't know if anybody has commented in any videos yet on your studio 😂 fpmsl at those crayons, superb man. Absolute deadpan brilliance from you mate, you should be on telly.
I drive over that bridge quite alot, always wondered why it was so strange, should have guessed it was because the council were busy pocketing the cash to improve it, thanks! 👍🏻
Similar story to the temporary buildings at my old school. They were 30 years old and due to come down in the late 90s. Roll forward to 2024 and they are still there.
ECC are good at temporary structures that stay in place, they built a flyover on the army and navy roundabout to temporarily help trafffic while a bypass was being built in 1976, they were forced to knock it down reluctantly last year due to structural issues
If you travel along the A1 through Sandy there is a 50mph speed limit that I was told is over 40 years old, so Jon what is the oldest temporary thing on the road network?
That is a good question. I had wondered about the "temporary" traffic lights at Pulpit Rock on Loch Lomond, thankfully now gone after a new viaduct was built, but after looking up the story it turns out they only lasted 30 years. A mere midgie bite.
In 1968 I lived in "temporary" US Army barracks built in 1938 at Fort Ord, California, USA. Many were still in use when the base was closed in the 1990's.
I spent many happy tacho breaks in that stub of road, or just up the way near the fantastically well signposted Secret Nuclear Bunker! Used to be a nice Geocache in one of the old bridge rails too!
Councils love the word 'temporary'. In my locality there is a stretch of road that's been signposted 'temporary road surface' (big red sign) for about the same length of time - they bunged down some rough tarmac and left it, knowing that weather and traffic density would take their toll, presumably with the intention of revisiting it at a later date.
In New Zealand, we had a section of temporary incline railway that was in use for 77 years until a tunnel was built to replace it. Granted, tunnel construction was hampered by the Long Depression, the minor disagreement of 1914 - 1918, the Great Depression, and the minor disagreement of 1939 - 1945.
There was a Bailey bridge in Irvine, which was only meant to be temporary, but it was over 45 years old before they got round to installing a permanent bridge
In Norway we call this a Temporary Permanent installation. A lot of bridges in Norway are old and inadequate, but do they get replaced, no, they stay in place until they fall apart. Then they get replaced by a Temporary Permanent make shift bridge waiting for decades for the new permanent bridge to be built.
The note must have outlasted several fridges, that bridge really is a fridge too far.
👏
Wonderful comment .love it x
😅😅😂😂
Oh groan - that was, oh whatever. Well done you.
Thanks dad.
"...as quickly as they could, over the course of 7 years..."
Haha. I love your delivery
Almost spat my food out at this line!
in 1970 a tempory bridge was installed in my town, this bridge was "reviewed" every 5 years and the same excuse "theres no money left, here have this £15 million art centre that will only be used for 8 months", the bridge collapsed in 2013 and the council suddenly had the money for the bridge .... except the bridge now costs 12x the price, 18 months and £41 million later .... we got a brand new 22 foot long suspention bridge .... which had to be replaced 6 months later as it could not even hold a 7 ton truck without it flexing out of its joints, a further £22 million was spent in replacing it with a solid bridge, so there you have it, use a temp bridge for to long and it'll end up costing £63 million quid
Blimey - where was that?
Oh my God! And I thought American bureaucracy was bad...
@@jovetj This is a case of incompetency rather than bureaucracy, every single council in the UK is the same. People vote for a party, they have no idea who they're giving power so 9 times out of 10 it ends up being some moron that hasn't got a clue what they're doing
@@mrcaboosevg6089 Sounds like bureaucracy to me! 😁
@@mrcaboosevg6089 it was a labour council which became a tory/labour coalition
Just when thought I'd been marked safe from any more of those effing awful "Elf On a Shelf" variants, Jon comes along with a blinder. Bridge on a Fridge. Top marks, sir.
Jon... pin this comment! 😂
LOL. Get pinned. It deserves it.
@@tardismole It is pinned...
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.
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...on the fridge for further review :)
@@markwright3161 LOL :D
I’ve lived in Chipping Ongar my whole life and have only just learnt about this thanks to this video
The Lewisham Rail Crash in Dec 1957 destroyed the bridge that carried the Nunhead to Lewisham line over the lines out of London Bridge.
Over the following month, they built a temporary "Bailey Bridge" to get things going again.
Still there. Still being used 66 years later.
Simular story in walton on trent.
Anything built not intended to be permanent is therefore temporary no matter how long it is there. The Eiffel Tower was not intended to be permanent nor was the Crystal Palace but that was moved.
😮
@@tonys1636 indeed. Although Stonehenge may have been designed as a temporary structure, I'm not sure the Pyramids were.
"As quickly as they could over the course of 7 years". Just brilliant!
At Langwathby near penrith the stone bridge was washed away in 1968 and replaced by a second hand girder bridge (it was about 10 years old) . You’ve guessed right: it’s still there 56 years later. It’s what councils do: waste money on vanity projects while important things get sidelined. Great video!
You beat me to it.
@@iandickinson6400 you’ll know all about the history of Langwathby bridge then!
@@Eric_L456 yes I've been over plenty of times. It does its job but a replacement for the original is long overdue lol.
The bridge itself dates from WW2 it was at an army camp near Keswick before moving to Langwathby
@@pedanticradiator I think the bridge was first used at Portinscale near Keswick after the original bridge there was washed away in about 1958 .
Well I drive over that daily, never knew it was temporary or even knew there was an original structure there. Learn something new everyday! Thanks!
I love how public bodies play the game of planning permission, knowing they can get endless waivers not available to the public they ostensibly serve.
It’s a bit different, though, given that the bridge is a public good, available for the public to use. It’s not like they’re getting a waiver for planning permission on something private.
@@pwithnall It's only different because *you* have chosen to categorize it that way, and because 'public good, private bad' is subjective. Does a supermarket deliver any "good, available for the public to use" or is it only poor-value goods delivered by incompetent people that qualify as 'public'?
And how exactly does endless derogation from the law benefit the public when it's elected buffoons but not when it's someone with merit?
You have to look at this one objectively though. Every 5 years the council has to draw up a justification for extending the temporary planning permission. They have to apply to their own planning department for that permission. They have to assess it. They have to have a planning review meeting. They have to check that the structure of the bridge will last the duration of the proposed temporary extension. They have to draw up an action plan for replacing the temporary bridge with a permanent one. And then 5 years further on they have to do the same thing again. And again, And again. It's no wonder they haven't got any money. 😁
Those government jobs need justifying somehow!
Sounds a lot like the Post Office. Maybe they could all send themselves to jail?
Oh, the poor darlings. I feel soooo sorry for them! Not.
I mean, props to someone for making a five year -mission- bridge sturdy enough to last over 5 times that long. But, still.
Sounds like their “review and report” procedure is “Find last report, delete date with tippex, and replace with current date, and photocopy it”
What about the A686 Bridge over the river Eden near Langwathby in Cumbria the temporary bridge that was put up to solve the problem of a bridge collapse in 1968 is still there still one lane only controled by traffic lights.
Your acerbic wit is not wasted on us John _"...so, as quickly as they could, over the course of the next seven years..."_ 😁
Love the running fridge gag. Which is more than you can say for the traffic along that route.
A "Mechano" bridge was first installed over the Ivel at Biggleswade in 1939. Replacement began in 1999, not completed until 2001 ... an impressive 60-plus years later!
A prime example of when the temporary solution becomes the permanent solution - all too familiar in the IT world 🤦
In my programming life I was aware that there was always time to hash something up and do the proper thing later and later never happened. After I learnt this I resisted all the "just do it quick for now" requests.
Bodging is an artform.
If I remember correctly, income tax was a temporary tax to fund the napolionic wars
"There is nothing as permanent as a temporary fix"
And on British Railways, I'm looking at you HSTs and Pacers.
Just an FYI, the Roding is said "Road-ing". There is also an area north of here known as the Rodings containing loads of smaller villages like High Roding, Aythorpe Roding, Leaden Roding and White Roding. All a nod to the little tiny river in the area :)
Edit - Read the thread, I did a project on this area way back when!
Are you 'fishing' for compliments - small pun there...
@@flickthenicksmall but beautifully formed…
You are quite correct……. or not 🎉
It is largely known as “Road-ing” as you state……… However, in Old Essex parlance the villages, of which there are many, are the Roothings……. even stated on one or two road signs……. 🇬🇧🙂
@@iancharlton678I'm entirely correct as I'm talking about the current time, not 1500 years ago :)
If we are trying to be a cleaver clogs about it, they were recorded as many things over time. Founded by Hroda (The d is actually said 'th'", they would have been Row-th-ings, or "Ruh-things, think scandi muted uh).
By the Domesday book they had already become "Roinges, Rodinges". But then, by 1300 odd they had morphed further into some wacky versions like Roothing, Rodynge and my personal favourite, Roodinge!
Roothing is actually a relatively late, single entry onto their historical name bastardisation.
And I never thought the project I did at School (Bishops Stortford, near Aythorpe/High Roding), would be of interest but here we are!
@@sheilamorrison1954 calm yourself down. Not a cleaver clogs nor a clever clogs. Merely pointing out what the Old boy Essex Farming folk use and what’s written on the road signs…… and yes, farming have I done, ears open they were, age have I gained.
It was a polite, bordering on friendly comment.
I try to avoid keyboard jousting.
Working in the Ro(a)dings for a few decades, I use Ro(a)ding……… 🙂
a village near me has a 'temporary' bridge that was installed in 1968, 56 years ago.
There was an East German saying: "Nothing in this country lasts longer than a temporary fix."
PS: Temporary fix is one of the few times where it is shorter in German: "Porvisorium"
There is the adage in English of “There is nothing more permanent than a temporary solution”
thats acutally a russian saying.
@@gelber_kaktus or - and hear me out there - it exists in many languages! MIND BLOWN!
"Nichts haelt laenger als ein Provisorium" does not sound very Russian to me.
Shockingly to (hopefully) few, "Provisorium" is actually a word from Latin
and I bet ancient Romans also already had a saying like that 😄
"Nichts hält länger als ein Provisorium."
We've had temporary traffic lights in the middle of Chapel en le Frith, Derbyshire for at least 5 years now. Put up because of a bulging wall in a house that was "in imminent danger of collapse." Still hasn't collapsed, mind you and the bulge has been there, never changing, in this 18th Century cottage for at least my 55 years on this planet. But obviously the Council knows best... apparently.
There's been a set of "temporary" traffic lights on a bridge over the A12 near Witham (Essex again!) for over eight years, now.
There has been a set of temporary traffic lights outside Dartmoor Prison in Princetown Devon longer than inmates have been in there.
Most good video as always. When the boss says "can you look after project x. Will only be temporary until we get a new staff member" lol
I just love Jon's wit. I live in the US, not sure when or if I'll ever get to the UK, but if I do I'll be watching every bridge and overpass to see if I recall seeing them in Jon's videos. Great stuff! HIGHLY ENTERTAINING!
There is a temporary fly over railway bridge built by the army in 1953, at Lewisham to take trains from lewisham up and over to the up main fast lines to london bridge, waterloo east and charing cross and to cannon street. Still in use today, 70 years later.
Very interesting, as are all your videos. I've often driven vintage buses over the "temporary" bridges on route 339 and they do make you concentrate!
in the 1990s you'd have had to visit the A494 at Drws-y-Nant where temporary traffic lights installed whilst one side of the road crumbled into the river lasted twenty years
Yep an idiom i live by at work is
"There is nothing more permanent than a temporary solution"
The amount of times I've been over that bridge in the truck and thought to myself. Sure there must be a weight limit in it as I feel like it would give way any time soon.
Could always divert over the old bridge just to be safe.
Brilliant episode
There are flyovers on the A13 and A127 roads in Essex that were also similarly designed to be temporary but are still there decades later; they were made in three sections so have humps you bump over either side of the flat middle section
Great little find, there's a lot of old former railway infrastructure on cycling routes close to me - it's amazing how many bridges and viaducts there are which were definitely built to last but probably saw fewer years of service than this 'temporary' structure has.
They will last forever with little maintenance. Stone bridges last forever.
@@simontay4851 Like this one. www.sabre-roads.org.uk/wiki/index.php?title=File:Old_Invergarry_Bridge_-_close_aerial_from_W.jpg (I agree - most of them do last well though.)
Nothing is as permanent as temporary 😂. Another awesome vid, thanks Jon!
The crazy issue with councils is that, for the majority of their budgets, they can't carry monies over each financial year - so if they can't or don't have the money within one financial year, then it won't happen. It's also why, in q4, you get crazy spending on things after Christmas as budget money has to be spent or be lost.
I'm gonna put in a wild guess here, but I assume "lost" doesn't
mean it gets returned to the taxpayer
@@A_Haunted_Pancake No, it'll get used elsewhere - but certain underspends won't rollover within services.
That sort of thing happens in private firms too. If you don't for some reason spend your budget one year in your department then next year your budget will be reduced, so you make sure to spend your whole budget every year. I blame the bean counters.
@@A_Haunted_Pancake It means that not only does it revert back to the central government, then your next budget gets cut because you didn't spend all of your money last time. The same thing happens in the private sector too, it is just that no one is looking too close.
Councils these days have so much less money than they used to that any surplus in the budget is a very rare thing. It's more likely that officials will be told to defer spending until the new financial year. With capital budgets though (e.g. for new bridges) there's more flexibility to carry over between years, because by their nature, building takes time and is harder to constrain within years. (I mean after they've been started!)
Another "temporary" solution by Essex County Council was the Army and Navy flyover in Chelmsford, as a temporary solution to congestion that was there for around 30 years. It was only taken down the other year as it was deemed to dangerous for road users, and causing accidents since it was a one way road whose direction changed throughout the day. A consultation is currently ongoing to solve the traffic issue, and the leading solution is to convert the Army and Navy into a hamburger roundabout.
Also Romford, Essex - the temporary Gallows Corner flyover (A12 / A127) has been there for some 50 years.
I always found the Army & Navy flyover a bit bizarre. The roundabout allowed the A12 & A130 to cross each other. The A12 was by far the busier of the 2, so the flyover helped out the A130. I guess it made more sense several years later when the A12 bypass was built.
@@kempshottTBF that'd be Havering, outside of ECC jurisdiction.
Man... Essex sure has its own definition for temporary. I mean... 50 years? Even romans with their definition of "durable construction" ending up lasting millennia wouldn't dare call that temporary...
Sadly, ECC are clueless when it comes to road and traffic flow.
Second I saw the thumbnail I knew this was going to be entertaining. That bridge is even more fun when half of it is shut for works, so you've got the entirety of the A128 on one side of the road. What larks. Garden centre just south of it is a handy place for a post queue pee.
In Carmarthen town there was a "temporary" Bailey Bridge put in place, it was there close to 30 years ish before it was taken down. Not motorway related but I thought you'd appreciate the activity.
Great story. It’s a bit like the Digbeth flyover in Birmingham sometimes referred to as the camp hill flyover. Constructed in 30hrs one weekend in 1961, it too was to be temporary
28 years later, the same company that constructed it got to tear it down. So like yours John, temporary is really any length of time you care to say.
Temporary Bridge reminds me of the temporary flyover at Gallows Corner, A12/A127. Another Essex thing.
The little off the cuff remarks have me in stitches (e.g. "as quickly as they could over the course of seven years")...
Walton on Thames had a temporary bridge for a longer starting in 1953 with another added in 1999 until both were replaced in 2013
Great comment. Two temporary bridges before finally the permanent one done.
For a touch of international flavour, the Fremantle Traffic Bridge in Western Australia was completed in 1939. It is a four lane 219m long wooden structure, and is finally now scheduled for replacement in 2026.
You're in my (sort of) neighbourhood Jon! Ive often wondered about this ropey bridge.
Seeing a permanent temporary solution and Essex in the same breath was the least surprising bit. One day, in the not too distant future, Essex will be the only burg 100% substantiated by temporary structures.
"the year is now 2008- ah, fuck" that was brilliant
Has it really been that long? I know that "temporary" bridge pretty well. For a true display of Essex County Council urgency, try the temporary traffic lights on the bridge over the A12 south of Witham. They have been there at least 5 years..
I believe that recently won the award for the longest running set of temporary roadworks or similar 🤣
I just said the other day to my misses 'wtf is going on with these fuckin lights , they've been here for bloody years' lol
You need to have a look at Gallows Corner Flyover, that’s a one up one down flyover over a large roundabout at the junction of the A12 and A127, it was built in 1970, but is “temporary” it’s been shut numerous times for repairs and deck replacement.
I live about half a mile from said temporary bridge and each time I cross it I do one of two things. 1 - laugh about how long its been there, or 2 - use the additional twists in the road as a bit of a chicane (other traffic allowing of course).
If a new bridge is built in the very new future, it should be called the Auto Shenanigans bridge.
And followed by "(placeholder name)" to guarantee it outlasts the bridge :)
Thanks Jon, that was wicked, sweet awesome.
Thanks for this video; I used to frequently cross this bridge and wondered why the road had been diverted onto a new bridge and the old one left standing. What you didn't mention was the speed limit decrease that has been imposed because of the chicane and lane narrowing that the temporary bridge created. I still occasionally go this route as my parents live in the area still. I am long over being irritated by the road layout and am completely unsurprised by your explanation of supposed lack of funds to replace essential infrastructure properly!. Its funny though that during the time this temporary bridge has been in existence, enough money has been found to re lay both Ongar High Street and Brentwood High Street [both towns at opposing ends of this stretch of the A128] and large sections of pavements with expensive natural cobbles and natural stone, replacing what were perfectly serviceable surfaces with Expensive ones that have now failed and are sunken in many area's!!! Again Thanks for this and also your other video's Highlighting the incompetence and bad management of our authorities.
👍 Good stuff.....I live in the Royal Borough near B3028 Bray in Berks theres been a temporary Bailey Bridge there for over 20 years
Thank goodness for austerity. If the bridge had been built this episode wouldn't exist.
Same with Hoe Mill Bridge, Woodham Walter, in Essex. The bridge needs replacing but they have kept it in place with a 2 metre width restriction and a 3 ton limit. The width restrictions are so tight, I have seen many a large car come unstuck.
There was a bailey bridge at Irvine on the A71 we used to drive over a lot. It was also temporary but was always there every time we went to Irvine for the annual boat jumble and was quite fun driving across. It was Khaki green if I remember. I've not been there for some time though and just now looked it up. It's been sneakily replaced, apparently after 38 years. The new bridge is now called the Foulertoun Bridge but the locals still call it the Bailey Bridge out of habit.
This is the best video I've ever seen about anything
Another fantastic episode Jon.
Good watch
I have quite often passed over that bridge having idea that it was a temporary bridge, but I did always wonder why the road was laid out like that.
Another great and informative video Jon.
Been over the new bridge many times but didn't realise it was that old ! How time flies.
Reminds me of a bridge on the South Deeside Road in Aberdeenshire (Tilbouries Burn?). A post war concrete bridge was found to be defective in the eighties, so all traffic including HGVs was re-routed via the original centuries old stone bridge that was still holding up just fine.
On the south side of Witham, a slip road leading onto the A12 has a supposedly temporary traffic light, where the defective bridge or parapet means that half the road is closed. It's been there for over 4 years.
Yup, I live just up the road. They "refurbished" it last year with new surface on the metal deck and repaint following sustancial repairs on the railings.
There is also the flyover at Gallows Corner which was built in the 50s as a temporary structure, still there today.
Looking forward to Auto Shenanigans covering all 3000 bridges in the UK
Around here there is a road repair patch with "TEMP" spray painted on it. It's been there so long that the coulcil have repainted the road markings over it.
The town I grew up in had a temporary Bailey bridge installed after a flood in 1980. It was taken out in 2015.
When you look at the A120 fiasco and the Raleigh Weir underpass that took longer to complete than the Channel Tunnel it's no surprise they won't attempt a bridge! 😂
Gallows Corner flyover was constructed as a temporary structure in...1970. It now carries a 20mph speed limit.
And it's just down the A12/A128 from this traversty.
You'd think Essex council could have nailed all those extensions together and used them as the bridge...
I remember that bridge going in. I was doing a lot of baling around that area back then, and the traffic was chaos for ages.
Prague had a temporary tramway/trolley bridge serving several trolley lines from 1981 to 2013, even though the original intent was just a few years while other things were constructed, but it stayed in service due to convenience, and only got replaced by permanent bridge constructed between 2010 and 2013. Ste steel box sections were used as a temporary road bridge elsewhere, and were put into storage for possible future use as their condition was apparently surprisingly good. So in infrastructure terms "temporary" is a bit longer than in real life.
awesome video, looking forward to the next one
"...so as quickly as they could, over the course of seven years..." Brilliant.
Walton on Trent. A temporary bailey bridge was built that was so temporary it wore out and they had to replace it. With another temporary bridge. A housing developer is supposed to be paying for a proper bridge but of course they've been allowed to get out of it so the madness continues
Take a look at the Chiswick flyover at the Hogarth roundabout, in west London. Apparently when it was constructed in 1969 it was meant to be up for only six months.... it still stands to this day!
You should have a look at Gallows Corner, Romford, Essex where the A12 , A127 meet.
I don't go that way now , but the flyover was meant to be temporary , and was still there a few years ago !
At last that bridge is on here! I hope Jon was doing a silly place name video when he was in Essex!
Don't know if anybody has commented in any videos yet on your studio 😂 fpmsl at those crayons, superb man. Absolute deadpan brilliance from you mate, you should be on telly.
Sounds about right.
I drive over that bridge quite alot, always wondered why it was so strange, should have guessed it was because the council were busy pocketing the cash to improve it, thanks! 👍🏻
A temporary Bailey Bridge was installed in 1980 at Glanwerney, Crickhowell..still in use..and thought that sort of thing only happened in Wales
Nice one John, keep well mate 👍
A very fun, short, but sweet video!
Similar story to the temporary buildings at my old school. They were 30 years old and due to come down in the late 90s. Roll forward to 2024 and they are still there.
ECC are good at temporary structures that stay in place, they built a flyover on the army and navy roundabout to temporarily help trafffic while a bypass was being built in 1976, they were forced to knock it down reluctantly last year due to structural issues
That 93 degree shelf bracket elbow really grates... 😂
so how long can this temporary bridge last and does it still have the weight restriction like the old bridge? If not, what's the point?
Here where I live in Sweden we had until last year a railway platform which was temporary, opened in 1974.
I used to commute across it, but I swear it went into use after 98
If you travel along the A1 through Sandy there is a 50mph speed limit that I was told is over 40 years old, so Jon what is the oldest temporary thing on the road network?
That is a good question.
I had wondered about the "temporary" traffic lights at Pulpit Rock on Loch Lomond, thankfully now gone after a new viaduct was built, but after looking up the story it turns out they only lasted 30 years. A mere midgie bite.
Here in Antwerp we also had a “temporary” bridge. They finally took it down after about 30 years
In 1968 I lived in "temporary" US Army barracks built in 1938 at Fort Ord, California, USA. Many were still in use when the base was closed in the 1990's.
Gallows Corner flyover near Romford. Built in the early 1960's to last SEVEN years!!
I hope your excellent channel is that "temporary"! Keep up the great and amusing work.
I spent many happy tacho breaks in that stub of road, or just up the way near the fantastically well signposted Secret Nuclear Bunker! Used to be a nice Geocache in one of the old bridge rails too!
Due to cut backs the old fridge has been sent to the scrap yard to be recycled.
I remember using the original bridge, damn that makes me feel old ....
Councils love the word 'temporary'. In my locality there is a stretch of road that's been signposted 'temporary road surface' (big red sign) for about the same length of time - they bunged down some rough tarmac and left it, knowing that weather and traffic density would take their toll, presumably with the intention of revisiting it at a later date.
In New Zealand, we had a section of temporary incline railway that was in use for 77 years until a tunnel was built to replace it. Granted, tunnel construction was hampered by the Long Depression, the minor disagreement of 1914 - 1918, the Great Depression, and the minor disagreement of 1939 - 1945.
There was a Bailey bridge in Irvine, which was only meant to be temporary, but it was over 45 years old before they got round to installing a permanent bridge
In Norway we call this a Temporary Permanent installation. A lot of bridges in Norway are old and inadequate, but do they get replaced, no, they stay in place until they fall apart. Then they get replaced by a Temporary Permanent make shift bridge waiting for decades for the new permanent bridge to be built.