Media centre

Monday 28 Feb 2005

HOPE VALLEY RAIL BRIDGES STRENGTHENED

Region & Route:

Three rail bridges in the Bamford and Hathersage area of the Hope Valley are being given a new lease of life by Network Rail in a £1 million project. Bridge 28 carries the railway over the River Derwent, to the west of Bamford station; bridge 25 crosses a small lane approximately half a kilometre east of the station, leading to Cunliffe House; bridge 21 takes trains over the A6187 Castleton Road in Hathersage. The work on bridge 21 will mean the closure of Castleton Road for three weekends and Derbyshire County Council will set up a diversionary route along Jaggers Lane. The road has already been reduced to a single carriageway with temporary traffic lights, The first closure will be overnight from 9pm on Saturday 5 March until 9am the following day. There will be a longer closure over the next weekend, with the road being closed from 9am on Saturday 12 March through to 3pm on the Sunday. The final closure will again be overnight from 9pm on Saturday 19 March until 9am the next day. The work itself involves grit blasting the bridge as well as strengthening it by placing a 23 tonne steel beam under the bridge and bolting the bridge deck to it. To do this, the track and ballast will be removed and a section of bridge deck taken out to allow a 400 tonne crane to lower the beam into position during the long closure weekend. The track will then be replaced and the bridge painted. Similar work is taking place at bridge 28 over the River Derwent. This is also being strengthened using steel girders, which are due to be lowered into position during the weekend of 19 March by a 500 tonne crane. Work on all three bridges is expected to be completed by the middle of April and the preparatory work is not being hampered by the recent snowfalls. Scaffolding in place against the bridges has been ‘encapsulated’ in plastic and there are space heaters to keep the workforce warm.