20.02.08
Crewe rail bridge to be replaced
Network Rail is investing £1.4m in a project to completely replace the bridge that carries Wistaston Road in Crewe over the railway line to Chester.
Work started in the New Year and will take up to six months to complete. The work is being carried out as part of a national programme to assess approximately 10,000 road-over-rail bridges throughout the UK to ensure they meet current standards in line with EU regulations.
Tony Wilcock, Network Rail’s territory civil engineer explained: “The bridge has failed its assessment so it needs to be completely replaced. That does not mean it is in danger of collapse but it does mean that if we do not carry out the work, there will have to be a permanent weight restriction of 7.5 tonnes placed on the bridge. That would mean only light vehicles would be able to use the bridge, and would exclude buses and emergency service vehicles such as ambulances and fire appliances.”
To carry out the work, a small section of Wistaston Road close to its junction with Dunwoody Way will has been closed and local diversions will be put in place. Network Rail will be using a 500 tonnes crane to lift out the old bridge and lower the new one into place. The crane will be positioned on Dunwoody Way, which runs alongside the railway line, and this in turn will mean a second road closure from 21 to 31 March 2008 while this part of the project is completed.
The railway line from Crewe to Chester will be closed overnight from midnight Saturday to approximately 8.30am Sunday each weekend during the work but this will have minimal impact on rail services.
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