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Friday 9 Oct 2015

Road bridge in Crewe set for major upgrade

Region & Route:

| North West & Central

The A532 Hungerford road bridge (Manchester Bridge) over the railway in Crewe will be rebuilt as part of a £17m investment by Network Rail to extend its life by more than 60 years.

 

Work to rebuild and reinforce sections of the bridge forms part of a wider improvement programme that will deliver a more reliable railway between Crewe and Manchester.

Network Rail has worked closely with Cheshire East Council to ensure traffic disruption  is kept to a minimum while these improvements are carried out.

The first phase of work starts on 26 October, and is due to be completed by 4 January. Access to Crewe town centre and the Grand Junction retail park will be maintained.

Two-way movement of traffic over the bridge will continue for cars, emergency vehicles and buses during this period. HGVs will be diverted via an alternative route.

Mark Ashton, scheme project manager at Network Rail, said: “These vital engineering works, involving major structural improvements to both walls of the road bridge, will help ensure the long-term safety of the bridge for both road users and rail passengers.

“We would like to reassure everyone that for the majority of the time, we will limit our activities to weekday working hours, as well as making sure that the bridge remains accessible to cars and pedestrians.”

From 4 January to Friday 10 June, structural improvements to the bridge will be undertaken, meaning that two-way traffic will cease.  This will mean that a one-way system will be in place over the bridge for all vehicles giving priority to inbound traffic. Network Rail has a comprehensive communications plan in place that will ensure people are informed of this change.

Pedestrians will be able to continue to access Crewe via the bridge throughout the duration of the work.

Network Rail has written to households and businesses in the local area to notify them of the scheme and will keep them informed throughout each stage of the project.