Replaced Bradford-on-Avon bridge is almost open for traffic

A long-running £5.6m project to to replace an important bridge over the railway on St Margaret’s Street in Bradford-on-Avon is into its final stages and the road will reopen on Monday 18th December. 

The road was scheduled to open at the end of this month after the team switched to 24-hour working in early November with the aim of finishing the project as swiftly as possible. However, there are still several tasks that need to be completed, including a vital utility service reconnection.

The bridge, located to the east of Bradford-on-Avon railway station, is being replaced because of its deteriorating condition, which meant that it was not cost-effective to repair.

The work faced a number of delays earlier this year due to periods of industrial action, poor weather, and the lack of availability of specialist contractors to divert utilities from the bridge.

In the next two weeks, teams will be working to rebuild the bridge walls and complete the necessary tasks to reopen the road.

Starting from Monday, 18th December, temporary traffic management will be in place to allow traffic over the bridge while a section of the road is closed to allow Openreach to safely finish the reinstatement of cables. During this time, parking restrictions will be in place on both sides of the bridge.

Mike Contopoulos, Network Rail’s project director for buildings and civils, said: “We know that this further delay will be disappointing to local residents and I’d like to apologise for any inconvenience that this has on the residents of Bradford-on-Avon.

“Our teams have been working hard both on site and behind the scenes in hope of opening the bridge at the end of November and we are disappointed that we have had to delay the opening.

“We’ll keep the local community updated with our progress but I would like to thank them for their ongoing patience and once again apologise for the delays to this project.”

Cllr Caroline Thomas, Wiltshire Council Cabinet Member for Transport, said: “It is unfortunate that these essential works have been further delayed. We appreciate the impact on motorists and local residents and we are working with Network Rail to ensure these complex works are completed as soon as possible.”