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Friday 22 Nov 2024

Stockport residents invited to find out more about the Greek Street bridge reconstruction

Region & Route:

North West & Central

| North West & Central: North West

Network Rail is inviting the local community to find out more about next year’s major work on the Greek Street roundabout in Stockport.

More than £16m is being invested to replace the bridge that takes the Greek Street roundabout over the West Coast main line.

The original bridge, which was constructed in 1958, has reached the end of its life and needs to be replaced.

Work to the major junction in the centre of Stockport will begin next year, with some preparation work required this Christmas.

Network Rail, supported by Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, is hosting a drop-in information event on Tuesday 3 December, where the local community will find out more about the work.

The event is being held from 4pm to 7pm at Stockport’s Age UK hub, which is located next to the bridge. Members of Network Rail’s project team, the council’s Sustainable Transport and Highways team, and the construction contractor, Murphy, will be in attendance.

William Brandon, Network Rail project manager said: “We’re inviting people to find out more about the essential work to replace the Greek Street bridge, as part of our commitment to keep the Stockport community informed during our project.

“This work is extremely complex. Its construction and its impact on the people of Stockport is being carefully planned.

“We understand the essential work will cause significant disruption to the local area. We don’t yet have all of the answers about public transport alternatives during the project, but we want to make sure the community is brought along on the journey from the earliest stage possible. A timeline for when to expect more detailed information about alternative travel will be available at the event.”

Cllr Grace Baynham, cabinet member for Parks, Highways and Transport Services at Stockport Council, said: “This will be the first in a series of engagement events that will take place in the run up to the work starting and is a great opportunity for residents to hear more about this landmark project.

“Greek Street is a major route in and out of our town centre and it is essential that these works to replace the bridge below the roundabout are carried out, especially as the bridge is designed in a way that will assist our future plans to bring the Metrolink to Stockport.”

The event on 3 December is the first in a series of regular drop-ins the community will be welcomed to throughout the project.

This Christmas, the team will build a scaffold bridge to divert the important utilities that currently run under the road surface. 

This work will take place between 25 – 27 December 2024. Because of the Christmas timetable, there won’t be any train services until the morning of Friday 27 December. 

From spring 2025, the Greek Street roundabout will be closed to traffic for approximately one year. Diversion routes for pedestrians, cyclists, buses, and motorists are being carefully planned and will be clearly signposted.

Rail closures are required during Easter, summer, and autumn 2025 to allow engineers to safely carry out the work.

Passengers will be advised on what this means for them with plenty of time to plan their journeys in advance.

Demolishing and rebuilding the 58-metre-wide bridge will be a complex process. Engineers will construct a temporary bridge to reroute existing utility services such as water and electricity. Then, the road layout will be removed carefully in a way that does not damage the bridge structure while the railway is in operation.

Over 21 days in August 2025 there will be no train services through Stockport. During this time, the bridge, which is made of about 200 concrete beams, will be demolished and the new bridge will be installed.  Then, the team will redirect the utility services, waterproof the bridge, and reinstate the road to the highest standard. 

More information about the work can be found at www.networkrail.co.uk/GreekStreet.