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Monday 12 May 2025

Roads reopen after £30 million bridge deck upgrade in Camden

Region & Route:

Eastern

| Eastern: East Midlands

All roads have reopened on a new bridge deck installed over the railway in north London – marking one of the £30 million project’s final milestones.

The 160-year-old structure at Agar Grove, Camden, was completely replaced in just nine days in late 2024, to improve journeys on the Midland Main Line.

Rail journeys were able to resume on December 30 following a successful handover, after which the crane was dismantled and utility supplies reinstated.

One lane of traffic was opened in February and the temporary footbridge was removed the following month.

The bridge deck’s road surface was completed last weekend, allowing the area to reopen to road vehicles from today (Monday 12 May).

Mark Budden, Network Rail route director, said: “The Agar Grove project was years in the making, meticulously planned at every stage and successfully carried out.

“As we approach the home straight, it is important to reiterate how extremely grateful we are to the residents living nearby for their understanding as we carried out this crucial work.”

The bridge deck replacement was started after the last train on the night of 20 December last year.

Within days, the old structure had been demolished, and by 29 December the new beams, parapets and bridge deck had been erected.

During this same tight timeframe, the railway track and overhead line equipment, which powers trains, was reinstated, allowing services to resume as planned on 30 December.

Network Rail teams made the most of the time when trains were not running to carry out 50 smaller tasks like vegetation management, track maintenance and renewing power cables.

A footpath route across the bridge from St Augustine’s Road, Camden is set to open later this week, with work to complete all remaining footpaths being finished in mid-June.