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Wednesday 22 Nov 2017

Work set to begin on replacement of southside rail bridge

Region & Route:

Scotland’s Railway: Scotland

Network Rail engineers will shortly begin work on a project to replace the weak road-over-rail bridge in Springkell Avenue in Pollokshields.

The bridge, near Maxwell Park station on the Cathcart Circle line, has been closed to vehicles since August this year due to safety concerns following sustained deterioration in the condition of the structure.

Work will begin on-site this Saturday (November 25) with engineers working  until December 22 to scaffold around the bridge and prepare to divert utilities such as water and electricity off the structure.

The second phase of the project, which will being in January 2018, will see the existing bridge removed and a new structure, which is fully compliant with modern road and rail safety standards, erected in its place.

As part of the work, engineers will need to remove excess vegetation from around the structure and also temporarily remove and then reinstall overhead power lines while demolishing the old bridge deck and craning in the new one.

The replacement of the bridge, which is due for completion in May 2018, will help remove the current weight restriction on the road and safeguard the running of the busy Carthcart Circle line below.

Owen Ferry, Network Rail project manager, said: “The work we are undertaking is vital to the long-term operation of the railway and will also provide road users with a much improved structure free of the current restrictions.

“The plans we have put in place are the most effective and quickest way to deliver the project and remove this unstable structure, and the risk it represents, from our railway.

“We understand the inconvenience this work will cause to some residents and are committed to completing the project as quickly as we can and with a minimum of disruption.”