Thursday 11 Jun 2009
RAILWAY’S ARRIVAL SIGNALS NEW ROAD BRIDGE FOR AIRDRIE
- Region & Route:
- Scotland’s Railway: Scotland
Network Rail is set to begin construction of a new road bridge in Airdrie as part of the £300m* Transport Scotland funded Airdrie-Bathgate Rail Link.
The construction work will require a year-long closure of Towers Road to dismantle the existing bridge, widen the span, build the new structure and install the required railway infrastructure.
The road closure will be in place from Friday 26 June 2009 to June 2010. A diversionary route has been agreed with North Lanarkshire Council via Petersburn Road and Carlisle Road.
Hugh Wark, Network Rail senior project manager, commented:
“The construction of a new railway is a huge engineering jigsaw puzzle and Towers Road is one of the trickier pieces, particularly given its location in a busy residential area.
“Our first challenge is to remove the existing bridge to allow adequate space for the double-tracked, electrified railway and prepare the new bridge foundations.
“The second challenge is to build a bridge tough enough to stand the test of time. This has to be done section by section, allowing the concrete to cure in between stages.
“Finally, we will complete the new wider road surface and reopen the road allowing the track and over-head power wires to be installed in preparation for the completion of the line in late 2010.
“We have tried to minimise the inconvenience and hope that residents of Airdrie will understand that the long-term benefits of the railway will outweigh this short-term inconvenience.”
*At Q1 2006 prices
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