When rebuild of Cross Gates rail bridge will be completed as pictures show progress
Works to replace a historic railway bridge in Leeds are progressing on schedule, according to Network Rail officials.
Station Road bridge, which is built over Cross Gates railway station, has been demolished and rebuilt as part of a seven month plan to replace the existing 190-year-old bridge.
Part of the TransPennine Route Upgrade (TPU), the bridge is being reconstructed as it is currently too low to accommodate the overhead line equipment (OLE), which will be used to power electric trains on the route, which connects Manchester, Leeds and York, in the future.
In the seven months from March 31 to November 25, the southbound carriageway of Station Road across the railway bridge has been closed, and work is on schedule to allow for this to be reopened as planned at the of next month - the Yorkshire Evening Post can exclusively confirm.
A spokesperson for Network Rail said: “Yes, work is on schedule, and the southbound carriageway of Station Road is still set to re-open on 25 November as planned.”
Originally built between 1830 and 1834, Station Road rail bridge was widened in 1936 and again in 1953. Pictures taken by the YEP, show the progression of the works, as the new bridge begins to take shape.
Advanced signage will remain in place throughout the remainder of the closure and bus services 9A, 9C, 11, 11A, 40, 64(First) and 163 will continue to face delays. Bus stops 45010511 Cross Gates Centre B and 45010512 Cross Gates Station remain suspended.
The reconstruction follows work carried out in Osmondthorpe last Christmas, when a team of over one hundred engineers replaced an old bridge deck with a new, stronger structure to enable tracks to be moved into a better position to allow faster, longer trains to run.