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Over Twenty members of the Lynsted with Kingsdown Society were treated to a fascinating talk at the Greenstreet Methodist Church on the 14th March. Tony Norfolk from Kent Highways Agency treated us to an illustrated insight into this thirty year career; planning, maintaining and repairing the country’s 2000 bridges and culverts. As well as the concrete and steel motorway decks, his work has included preventing some of the River Medway’s mediaeval stone bridges from crumbling beneath the punishing motor traffic of today. Strengthening bridges using 800 year old fabric to preserve the structures as valued listed monuments, is not always an easy job and never a quick one. Versatility was very apparent in his work, sometimes using temporary steel bridges to span rivers, railways and motorways several times over in different locations. There did not appear to be much rate payers “fat on the bone” in Tony’s department at county Hall. Sixty minutes to reveal the workings and technical problems encountered by this man and his colleagues was not nearly enough. We thank Tony for his splendid talk.
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