Comment: Crack won't shake faith in Bristol bridge

Clifton Suspension Bridge is a truly iconic structure, a national treasure.

So, it comes as rather a shock when someone discovers a serious flaw in a crucial piece of its ironwork.

Here in Bristol we tend to assume the impeccable condition of Isambard Kingdom Brunel's world-famous crossing of the Avon Gorge to be an ongoing constant.

It may be 145 years old but it always appears to be in good shape, thanks to the ceaseless efforts of the bridge trustees.

Time, though, can take its toll and, in this particular instance, has. As our pictures reveal, a crack can appear unexpectedly.

We owe the discovery of this one to the vigilance of a bridge user, someone walking across the structure, and to them we should be grateful for being so observant.

Grateful, too, that, as soon as the fault was discovered, a seamless operation swung into place.

The cracked rod was placed in a steel brace and structural engineers were called in to assess the safety of the bridge.

That work will continue this week and over the coming months when a full annual check of the structure will be brought forward.

A replacement rod will also be manufactured.

The good news is, though, that Clifton Suspension Bridge has been declared safe to use.

Bristolians can rest easy that this landmark piece of ambitious engineering by the genius that was Brunel is still more than capable of fulfilling an important role in the 21st century.