17.06.14
Work begins on £10m Tennison Road bridge replacement
Network Rail has started work on a £10m project to completely replace the Tennison Road bridge, near Norwood Junction, Croydon, with a bigger and better structure.
The bridge, which closed yesterday (16 June) and will stay closed until spring 2015, has spanned the main lines from London Bridge and Victoria to East Croydon since 1922, but has to be replaced as it has reached the end of its life.
Mike Smith, Network Rail’s enhancements manager for the south east, said: “The old structure is past its use-by date and this is a great opportunity for us and Croydon Council to put something better in its place.
“We have already built a temporary footbridge so there will still be pedestrian access across the railway and it will also allow vital services, such as electricity, gas and water, to continue undisrupted while the old bridge is demolished in the coming months.”
A main span of the new structure, which will be hydraulically pushed into place next Christmas, will be about 3.5 metres wider to allow for wider footways, safer cycling and a wider carriageway. The bridge replacement will be carried out by contractor Graham Construction, which was appointed in January.
Demolition of the existing bridge will be a gradual process and there will be some changes to train services at various weekends during the autumn to allow for the safe removal of it.
Cllr Kathy Bee, cabinet member for transport and environment at Croydon Council, which is part-funding the replacement, said: “This is an important and necessary undertaking. The long-term benefits to local people and all who use the Tennison Road bridge outweigh the unavoidable inconvenience they experience while the replacement work is carried out.”
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