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Friday 22 Jan 2021

Landmark Canterbury railway bridge undergoes vital repairs...and gets a new lick of paint

Region & Route:

Southern: Kent

| Southern

A 115 year old rail bridge over the busy A28 in Canterbury is undergoing vital repairs so that trains can continue to run safely across it for years to come – while, at the same time, enjoying a much-needed facelift.

The steel Wincheap Road bridge was built in 1906 and carries the Dover to Faversham main line over the A28 (Ashford to Canterbury road), and is seen by thousands of motorists driving into the city every day.

Work took place last weekend to remove decades of grime, rust and graffiti.

Now main work will commence to extend the life of the bridge with work being carried out over 3 consecutive weekends, starting on 5 February, to weld and strengthen steel girders and coat them in protective paint.

The works are taking place during nights only to avoid disruption to traffic as much as possible, but when works take place there will be a road diversionary route in place. Pedestrian access will be maintained throughout.

Fiona Taylor, Network Rail Route Director for Kent said: “This vital asset is in need of remedial repairs, so that trains can continue to run safely into the future.  One of the benefits of this work is that it gives us a chance to clean-up graffiti, benefitting both the local community as well as train passengers. We apologise for any inconvenience while we carry out these important works. By keeping work to weekends, we hope to avoid causing too much disruption to the city of Canterbury.“