Night works on bridge to affect route for 17 weeks
‘Vital’ work on Claverton Street railway bridge will start in June and last for 17 weeks.
Network Rail will begin work on Claverton Street railway bridge which sits above the A36 at Churchill Bridge roundabout to the south of Bath city centre - on Monday, June 20, lasting until Sunday, October, 16.
To minimise disruption to road users and rail passengers, the refurbishment will take place at night.
To carry out this work safely for rail and road users, and pedestrians, the A36 at Churchill Bridge roundabout will need to be closed to all eastbound and southbound traffic from 7pm to 6am seven days a week.
Between the hours of 6am and 7pm daily, the will route will be open as usual and train services will remain unaffected throughout.
Between 20 August and 9 October Network Rail’s engineers will only be working trackside each Saturday evening meaning the road closure on Saturdays will differ, lasting between midnight and 7am.
The bridge, which is just outside Bath Spa station, needs extensive steel and brickwork repairs so it
can continue to safely and reliably carry train services in, out and through the city.
Around 17,500 tourists, commuters and visitors travel by train to Bath Spa station every day and, once complete, this work will extend the lifespan of this important railway bridge to serve the station for at least another 25 years.
As part of this £800,000 project, Network Rail’s team of engineers will be working throughout evenings both trackside on the top of the bridge, and from the road underneath the bridge grit-blasting (a process which involves forcibly propelling abrasive material against a surface at high pressure) and repairing metalwork, before applying a protective layer of paint.
Brickwork repairs will also be completed to sides and support structures of the bridge.
During this period of work, a diversion route, approved by Bath and North East Somerset Council, will be in place.
Diversion route
■ All northbound traffic including access to the A4 London Road, A46 and M4 motorway will travel via Green Park Road and Charles Street to Queen Square, and then via Gay Street and George Street onto the A4 The Paragon.
■ All eastbound traffic including access to Bathwick, Bathampton and Warminster, will travel via the A3039 Dorchester Street and Manvers Street to North Parade before turning left onto the A36 Pulteney Road (South).
■ All southbound traffic including access to the A367 Wellsway to Radstock and Midsomer Norton will travel via the A3039 Dorchester Street and Manvers Street to North Parade before turning right onto the A36 Pulteney Road (South).
■ All Westbound traffic towards Keynsham and Bristol leaving the city centre will either follow the southbound diversion before travelling onwards via the A36 Lower Bristol Road, or travel out of Bath via the A4 Upper Bristol Road.
Network Rail has worked closely with the council and other businesses and stakeholders in the city to identify any largescale events that would be significantly impacted by this work and has adapted its programme and agreed to stand down work on a number of dates to accommodate these events; including the Michael Buble concert (15-16 July), Bath Boules (22-24 July), and the Fantastic Food Festival (29-31 July).
Michael Contopoulos, Network Rail project director, said: “The Claverton Street railway bridge is a significant piece of rail infrastructure that carries around 17,500 rail passengers in, out and through the city of Bath each day. Now it needs important repairs to extend its lifespan and structural integrity.
“To carry out this work safely, we need to close the road underneath the bridge and for that we apologise for the disruption this will cause road users.
“We are aware of the impact a traffic diversion will have in such a busy city centre location and we have limited our working to overnight shifts to minimise disruption to road users as far as possible.”
Residents and businesses with any queries or concerns regarding the work can contact Network Rail’s 24-hour national helpline (03457 11 41 41) or visit its website.