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January 2020
News Replacement bridge takes shape as road closures loom
B
arely visible to passing traffic, the giant concrete structure that will soon replace the narrow Victorian railway bridge on Gipsy Patch Lane is slowly but surely taking shape within the adjacent site compound of Network Rail’s contractor Alun Griffiths (see photo below). Assuming all goes to plan, the completed 4,500 tonne replacement bridge will be manoeuvred into position during a nine-day closure of the railway line currently scheduled to commence on 11th April. Ahead of this, a planned eightmonth full closure of Gipsy Patch Lane, at the railway bridge, is due to commence in March. The precise date is still to be revealed, but online traffic planning tool One Network suggests it will be 5th March 2020. Piling work to create foundations that will support the new bridge at its four corners began on 4th November 2019.
It appears to be running a little behind the originally announced schedule, but the project team insist that the overall scheme remains “on time”. At the time of writing in midDecember, the initial sheet piling was nearing completion on all four corner sites and bored piling had begun on the first (southwest) corner (see photo opposite). The first phase of overnight piling took place from 2nd to 5th December and weekend work, including piling, on 14th/15th December. The piling work is expected to continue until the end of January, with construction of the new bridge continuing until the end of February. No piling or construction work will take place between 24th December 2019 and 1st January 2020 inclusive. As we went to press, it was announced that the junction of Station Road and Gipsy Patch Lane will be closed to all vehicles
Replacement bridge construction: The northern side of the bridge (scaffolded section to the right of the photo) is 30% complete, including reinforcement steel work. Work is beginning on the southern side (scaffolded section to the left).
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