Media centre

Tuesday 14 Feb 2006

RAILWAY IMPROVEMENT WORK CONTINUES IN TAMWORTH

Region & Route:

Railway improvement work is about to enter a new phase next month on the Upper Gungate bridge in Tamworth. On 4 March work will begin to rebuild and widen the bridge to enable two additional tracks to be added to the West Coast main line, over which the bridge runs. This is part of the Trent Valley Four-Tracking project (TV4), which is part of the upgrade of the West Coast Main Line. To ensure disruption is kept to a minimum, Network Rail is working closely with Staffordshire County Council’s highways department to implement a traffic management system. However, drivers are advised to plan ahead as delays may be possible. Work is also about to commence to widen the rail cutting running parallel to Salters Lane. This will mean that during March and April Salters Lane will be partially closed at various times. The road will be closed to traffic coming from the junction with Upper Gungate but the traffic heading to Upper Gungate will remain. There will be a sign-posted diversion route back to Salters Lane via Upper Gungate, Comberford Road, Thackeray Drive, Masefield Drive. Work will start to demolish the central section of Upper Gungate bridge on 4 March. This has been scheduled to take place at times when it will cause minimum disruption and will involve two weekends of round the clock work when there is less traffic on the roads. The current layout of traffic flows at the Upper Gungate junction will need to be changed for this work to be carried out and will mean traffic travelling south from Fountains junction will be diverted via a contra-flow section. The overall work at Gungate is scheduled to finish by late 2007. Senior Programme Manager for TV4, Keith Riley, said: “While we will try to carry out this vital work with as little disruption as possible, we do realise that it will have an impact on local residents, local traffic and commuters. We are committed to keeping disruption to an absolute minimum and are making every effort to carry out this major work without closing the bridge to traffic, but I would advise people to plan ahead for their journeys.”