SOUTHAMPTON’S Itchen Bridge will be literally lifted up as part of a massive £1m overhaul, the Daily Echo can reveal.

The landmark structure, which weighs more than ill-fated liner Titanic and spans 2,625ft (800m) across, will be raised up by huge hydraulic jacks.

Engineers have been called in to beef up the safety of the 62,000-tonne bridge after more than three decades of use by thousands of motorists each day.

The four-month project, which was due to start today, will see 16 bearings replaced by international bridge repair specialists Freyssinet.

If left they could weaken the bridge’s structure.

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During the lifting operation up to four 2ft thick hydraulic cylinders will be used to jack up the bridge, segment by segment, by less than a tenth of an inch – between one and two millimetres.

Each cylinder is capable of pushing up a force of more than 600 tonnes – the equivalent to 600 Minis.

The vast majority of the work will be carried out below the structure of the bridge, which rises up to 92ft (28m) above the River Itchen.

Southampton City Council said that it would do everything possible to minimise disruption to motorists.

The vast majority of work will be outside peak hours, bridge closures will be done at night or on Sundays, and footpaths will remain accessible on at least one side of the bridge at all times.

However at times the traffic lanes will be narrowed and for safety reasons cycle lanes will be closed.

Southampton City Council’s transport boss Councillor Matt Dean said: “The Itchen Bridge is a Southampton landmark. More than 19,000 motorists use the bridge every day and enjoy the spectacular views from it. However the bearings on the bridge are old and are in need of replacing.

“The bridge has also become very outdated so this is a good opportunity to do something about it.

“It’s not an easy task though. To replace the bearings in the lift we will need to jack up the structure, which will be an impressive feat of engineering.”

The disruption comes as nearby Central Bridge has been shut down for a year for safety repairs.

The works to the Itchen Bridge are due to finish in March 2011.

Itchen Bridge Factfile

■ The Itchen Bridge officially opened in June 1977.
■ Mrs Edith Parkes made history as the first person to cross the finished bridge in May 31 1977.
■ It cost £12m to build, funded by the city council, which is still paying off construction loans.
■ The bridge has raised more than £50m in tolls since they were introduced in 1991 to “regulate traffic flows”.