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Thursday 13 Oct 2016

Vital route to reopen following bridge upgrade

Residents in Cornwall will be able to enjoy the benefits of an upgrade to the Saveock bridge in Chacewater from Friday.

The work, which took place over 18 weeks and required the bridge to close, forms part of Network Rail’s Railway Upgrade Plan to provide a bigger, better, more reliable railway for passengers.

It involved the removal of the carriageway and existing bridge deck, the diversion of utility services, upgrades to the bridge’s structure, the installation of the new deck and the reconstruction of the carriageway.

The complete replacement of the deck will ensure the safety of the bridge's users and prevent a weight limit being enforced in the future, which will allow more motorists to access the vital route.

The completion of this upgrade also means that the bridge will not require major maintenance for 120 years.

The bridge will be officially reopened at 3pm on Friday, 14 October by Sarah Newton, MP for Truro and Falmouth, after Network Rail’s orange army delivered the project on time and on budget.

George Bartlett, Network Rail’s project manager for the scheme, said: “I would like to thank residents for their patience and understanding as we carried out this extensive upgrade.

“Where possible we reduced any disruption for local people and we’re delighted to be able to finish the project on time. The work was essential to ensure the future of the bridge, which provides a vital route in and out of Truro.”

Andy Stevenson, Cornwall Council's highways manager, said: "Anyone who uses this route knows that the closure of Saveock has caused significant traffic congestion on the surrounding road network. While these were essential works, we did our best to mitigate the worst effects on road users.

"As such we are really pleased to see the work on this key commuter route has been completed on time and like Network Rail, would like to thank motorists and residents for their patience during this time."

ENDS