Media centre

Friday 24 May 2019

Road closures extended for historic railway bridge restorations in Manchester

Region & Route:

North West & Central

People are being advised about further road closures needed for the major restoration of three historic railway bridges in Manchester.

The Grade II listed bridges outside Manchester Victoria station are being returned to their Victorian splendour in a complete refurbishment which will secure their future for decades to come.

The project was due to be complete in June, but the discovery of structural defects hidden by layers of old paintwork on the 175-year-old structures means the work has been extended into July.

Additional road closures are needed to finish the project, and residents and motorists are being invited to a drop-in meeting to find out more on Thursday 30 May between 4pm – 7pm at The Stoller Hall on Hunts Bank in Manchester.

Sarah Padmore, scheme project manager for Network Rail said: “Work to grit blast and expose the metal bridge structures is progressing well, however this has uncovered the need for more extensive repairs to the steelwork than we had anticipated.

“To safely complete this work, we need additional road closures and expect to be on site until the end of July.

“We are really sorry for the inconvenience this will cause to residents and motorists and we have invited members of the local community to find out more at a drop-in meeting next week.”

The road closures needed include:

• Victoria Street being fully closed to road traffic from 17 June to 22 June 2019.
• Mirabel Street staying closed at the Victoria Street junction until late July 2019.

Network Rail has worked closely with heritage groups to ensure the bridges are properly restored.

Corroded decorative steelwork has been painstakingly reproduced and forged by specialist blacksmiths in the West Midlands.

Historic paint analysis has also been carried out so the bridges are returned near to their original colour scheme.