Media centre

Monday 2 Dec 2013

Rail improvement work at Ansford completes

Region & Route:

| Wales & Western: Western

| Wales & Western

The A371 road has fully reopened to road traffic today (2 December) as Network Rail completes the £1.2m improvement scheme to significantly strengthen the Ansford overbridge at Castle Cary.

The bridge now boasts a new 235 square metre concrete deck with all its steel elements repainted to protect the structure from corrosion.

Railway staff have clocked more than 9,000 hours since work began in July 2013 and they have been working round the clock where possible to minimise disruption. An encapsulation structure was also installed to protect the environment and allow works to continue despite poor weather conditions last month.

With final road surfacing now complete, Network Rail has now reopened both lanes of the A371 with only minor items to finish before all the work is complete.

Paddy Gregg, route delivery director for Network Rail Western, said: “We’d like to thank the community for their patience to enable us to complete this essential work on time and to plan. With the bridge work now completed, the community will now be able to gain from a much stronger structure that can carry up to 40 tonnes of road traffic. This also means a safer and more reliable infrastructure to support highway and rail services for many years to come.”

Road users have been able to access one lane of the A371 since 18 November.