Monday 1 Dec 2008

£1.8m INVESTMENT IN YORK BRIDGE UNDERWAY

Region & Route:

Network Rail engineers are preparing to entirely remove and replace a bridge which crosses the east coast mainline in York in a scheme worth £1.8m.

Moor Lane will be closed from 8 December to allow preparation works for the demolition which will be carried out at Christmas. The new bridge will be constructed on site and will prevent the need for future weight restrictions.

Warrick Dent, area general manager for Network Rail, said: "This is a big job, but when it is finished motorists will be able to use the bridge without the worry of weight restrictions. We are doing everything possible to keep disruption to local people to a minimum and have spent considerable time liaising with City of York Council about this essential engineering work. Train services will be unaffected as they are not running in this area on Christmas Day and Boxing Day and the road diversion has been agreed with the council."

City of York council is using the opportunity of the bridge replacement to carry out some highway works, which will provide improved cycle paths along Moor Lane.

Notes to editors

The full road closure will be in place from 8 December 2008 until 12 February 2009 though pedestrian access will be maintained. The diversion route is via the A64 and A1237. ie Moor Lane west onto the A1237. South to the A64 junction at Askham Bryan College; eastbound on the A64 to the A1036 slip road and onto Tadcaster Road then north to the junction with Moor Lane at the Tesco roundabout and vice versa.

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