During 2011, a £4 million joint programme by national railway infrastructure owner Network Rail, Welsh Assembly Government and the UK Highway Agency, was performed upon the Britannia Bridge, aiming to strengthen the 160-year-old structure and improve its reliability. The work involved the replacement of eroded steelwork, repairs to the drainage system, restoration of the parapets and stonework, and the painting of the steel approach portals of the bridge. A detailed inspection of the internal chambers of the three towers was performed, while a special walkway was also built to enable easier and safer access to the structure for future inspections of the masonry piers; special protective efforts adopted for the work included the use of special pollution-minimising paint and the decontamination of all equipment prior to being brought onsite.