An important step in the follow-up work for the Rochester Bridge Refurbishment Project has now been completed, with a deep clean of the River Medway’s foreshore.
Barriers, street signs and cones were removed, as well as general litter and shopping trollies.
James Booth, Bridge Manager at the Rochester Bridge Trust, explained: “During the refurbishment many cones and traffic signs, that had been left out for public safety, went missing. The retrieval of these items from the muddy foreshore is an unpleasant, dangerous task that cannot be carried out piecemeal so we had to wait until the end of the project to collect them.
“We can now confirm we are leaving the foreshore as pristine as the newly refurbished bridges.”
Term Maintenance Contractor FM Conway carries out periodic clearances of litter on the foreshore, which often includes cones and shopping trollies that have been thrown into the river. This is in addition to daily litter collection and a regular cleaning regime to ensure the bridges provide a pleasant environment.
Peter Moore, Contracts Manager at FM Conway, added: “We have a saying ‘no cone left behind’ and we stuck to our word with this clearance of the foreshore as we were able to retrieve all the advisory safety equipment that had been thrown into the river during the refurbishment. We will now wash down all the rescued traffic cones and check them before putting them back into operational use or sending them for recycling.”
Litter clearance is one of a series of measures carried out by the Trust as part of its commitment to protect the environment. Other recent measures have included a switch to LED lighting; 100 per cent green energy; and an electric van for use by the contractor.
Visit www.rbt.org.uk to find out more about the Rochester Bridge Trust.
