Rail bridge re-opens

Work at Breich completed

A £ 1.8m project to upgrade a West Lothian rail bridge has been completed.

The bridge over the railway at Station Road, Breich, re- opened overnight on Wednesday following Network Rail works to upgrade the structure in preparation for the future electrification of the railway.

The seven-month project is the 12th completed structure out of the 19 that will be reconstructed ahead of the electrification of the line in 2019.

Work required the diversion of a range of utilities which used the 14m span bridge to connect over the railway before the structure was demolished and rebuilt higher above the rails to ensure the safe clearance of the overhead electrification cables.

The reconstruction involved lifting 30 pre-cast concrete units into place using a 500- tonne crane. This included the bridge deck beams and parapets as well as positioning of the temporary structure which carried the diverted utilities over the railway during the work.

The new design for the bridge also incorporated ducting for Scottish Power to accommodate future connections to wind farms in the area.

Michelle McCaig, Network Rail project manager, said: “This was a challenging and complex piece of work being delivered over a busy working line, so credit is due to the Network Rail team and contractors, BAM Nuttall, who have delivered this work.

“Although there are few properties nearby that would have been disturbed by noise from the work, we are aware of the impact this kind of project in a rural location has on the road network and we thank the local community for their patience while we delivered this important railway investment. We would also like to thank West Lothian Council, the road’s authority in the area, for their support and cooperation as we deliver the electrification project.”