Media centre

Wednesday 10 Jul 2019

Final road closure needed for Manchester Victorian railway bridges makeover

Region & Route:

North West & Central

Motorists are being informed about the last road closure needed to complete the restoration of three historic railway bridges that will help keep passenger and freight services running safely and reliably through Manchester city centre for decades to come.

The Grade II listed bridges at Great Ducie Street, outside Manchester Victoria station, are being refurbished and lovingly returned to their Victorian splendour by Network Rail as part of the Great North Rail Project.

To enable the safe removal of equipment needed during the bridge repairs, Victoria Street will be fully closed to road traffic from 00:01 to 23:59 on Sunday 14 July.

While traffic diversions will be in place, pedestrian access will not be affected and trains will run as normal.

Sarah Padmore, scheme project manager for Network Rail, said: “Work is nearly complete to refurbish the Great Ducie Street bridges as part of the Great North Rail Project. These upgrades will ensure the bridges remain safe for our passengers, freight customers and road users for decades to come.

“To safely remove temporary concrete traffic barriers installed beneath the bridges, we need to close Victoria Street on Sunday. This will allow us to reopen all three lanes on Victoria Street and the junction of Mirabel Street, which has been closed since our work began in January.

“I would like to thank residents and motorists for their patience.”

Network Rail has worked closely with heritage groups to ensure the bridges are properly restored.

Rusty steelwork has been treated and forged by specialist blacksmiths in the West Midlands.

The bridges have also been repainted to their original colour scheme from when they were first built in the 1800’s. This is to bring the beauty back to the bridges that play a historic role in the city’s railway heritage