Media centre

Tuesday 14 Feb 2017

New lease of life for Cheriton Road Bridge in Folkestone

Region & Route:

| Southern

A railway bridge over Cheriton Road in Folkestone will be replaced with a modern alternative after a plan to re-furbish and strengthen the 160-year-old structure had to be changed.

Scaffolding surrounding the rail bridge is due to be removed this week after work over the past few months by Network Rail and its contractor revealed that plans to strengthen the bridge so that it meets modern standards were not going to be cost effective. A new bridge is the best available option and will safeguard the railway through central Folkestone for many decades to come.

Mark Huband, Network rail’s route asset manager for structures, said: “We realise that the scaffolding has been an inconvenience and understand why people might be disappointed that its removal has not resulted in a refurbished bridge.

“While our plan had been to strengthen the existing bridge to bring it up to modern standards, it has become clear that the best, most cost-effective solution is to replace the bridge with a new structure designed to meet the needs of today’s road and rail networks.”

Although the current condition of the bridge is not unsafe, a replacement will provide a long-lasting and far stronger structure. The cost to replace this bridge is estimated to be in the region of £1.5m with work planned to start between 2018 and 2020.