Friday 28 Jun 2019
One week until road closed for major railway bridge upgrade in Cheshire
- Region & Route:
- North West & Central
Residents and motorists in Poynton near Stockport are being reminded that a major upgrade to a road bridge over the railway in Cheshire starts on Friday 5 July.
The investment, as part of the Great North Rail Project, will strengthen Woodford Road bridge making it more reliable for road users above and rail passengers below.
It will be strengthened using a system of metal rods and plates. Vital repairs will also be made to the brickwork underneath the bridge.
Joel Farrell, scheme project manager for Network Rail said: “This essential refurbishment forms part of our Great North Rail Project and will ensure that Woodford Road railway bridge will remain safe and viable for years to come.
“We are working closely with Cheshire East Council and other partners to ensure disruption to the local community is kept to a minimum and this renewal work is completed in as short a time-frame as possible.
“We would like to thank residents and road users for their patience while we complete this major upgrade.”
To safely complete the work Woodford Road will be closed to vehicles from Friday 5 July and will reopen on Friday 16 August 2019.
Vehicles will be diverted with the alternative route clearly signposted. Pedestrians and cyclists will still be able to cross the railway on Woodford Road during the project.
Philip Cunningham, operations manager for Poynton Town Council, said: “At Poynton Town Council we realise these works are going to cause considerable inconvenience to residents. Especially those who live on Woodford Road who will be effectively marooned from the rest of Poynton due to the bridge closure.
“Whilst Network Rail is maintaining access for people on foot and cycles we realise this may not help some residents who rely on their vehicles. Any residents experiencing hardship due to the bridge closure are encouraged to contact Poynton Town Council. We will do everything we can to assist residents during the works.”
Work to replace the bridge will take place during a combination of day and night time shifts.
Network Rail has written to residents and will continue to keep people informed throughout the project.
Contact information
Passengers / community members
Network Rail national helpline
03457 11 41 41
Latest travel advice
Please visit National Rail Enquiries
Journalists
Network Rail press office - North West & Central Region
07740 782954
NWCmediarelations@networkrail.co.uk
About Network Rail
We own, operate and develop Britain's railway infrastructure; that's 20,000 miles of track, 30,000 bridges, tunnels and viaducts and the thousands of signals, level crossings and stations. We run 20 of the UK's largest stations while all the others, over 2,500, are run by the country's train operating companies.
Usually, there are almost five million journeys made in the UK and over 600 freight trains run on the network. People depend on Britain's railway for their daily commute, to visit friends and loved ones and to get them home safe every day. Our role is to deliver a safe and reliable railway, so we carefully manage and deliver thousands of projects every year that form part of the multi-billion pound Railway Upgrade Plan, to grow and expand the nation's railway network to respond to the tremendous growth and demand the railway has experienced - a doubling of passenger journeys over the past 20 years.
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