Rail and road disruption
A BRIDGE in the centre of Bishop Auckland will be closed for four weeks while vital repairs are made next year.
The Cockton Hill Railway Bridge, which traverses the railway line and joins Newgate Street with Cockton Hill Road, will undergo a £1.1m facelift starting in March.
A temporary footbridge will be put up in January with the road bridge set to close for four weeks on Monday, March 29.
The railway line between Bishop Auckland and Shildon will also be closed for 12 days from the beginning of April.
A Durham County Council spokesman said: “The condition of the bridge is deteriorating and a weight restriction has, therefore, been introduced.
“The county council is currently in the process of arranging to replace the deck, at a cost of more than £1m from our Local Transport Plan.
“In order to carry out this work, it will be necessary to close the road over the bridge. Train services will also terminate at Shildon for 12 days from the beginning of April. However, we are working closely with Network Rail, Northern Trains and local bus operators to minimise the disruption to travellers.
“We will be installing a temporary footbridge alongside the bridge in January and are planning to start work on the replacing the main bridge at the end of March.
“A shuttle bus will also be operating between the railway stations at Shildon and Bishop Auckland while train services are suspended and diversions for road users will be clearly marked.
“The council will be holding a public exhibition early in the new year to provide further information.”
Town councillor Barbara Laurie said the closure would be inconvenient but the work was necessary. She said:
“Of course it’s not the best thing for a bridge to close but it can’t be helped, everyone will just have to be patient and it will be worth it in the end.”