At last - town's bridge set to open on Sunday

Central Bedfordshire Council has confirmed the opening of the bridge “subject to any further adverse weather”.

The council has thanked residents, businesses and rail users for their patience during the essential safety works which have meant the brudge has been closed since December.

The new bridge deck has a design life over 120 years meaning it will be safer and the risk to the public and railway due to falling debris has been removed. The bridge also requires less maintenance due to the materials used and upgraded drainage.

The final part of the bridge works was to construct new parapet walls which will be to a higher standard than before and will negate the need for bollards in the footway.

However, due to further Network Rail restrictions on available working time on the railway, strengthening of the bridge supports has yet to be completed. To enable the road to be opened as planned on there will be concrete barriers in the footways through July protecting the parapets until the strengthening work is finalised.

There may also be further short duration closures of the road to remove the temporary utility bridge. Both of these works will be carried out at weekends over night to keep inconvenience down to a minimum.

Cllr Brian Spurr, Executive Member for Community Services said: “We are delighted that the bridge is reopening and that is has been made safe – a priority of the council.

“We would also like to thanks residents and businesses for their patience and cooperation during this period. It’s well known that the project has had delays due to weather but I can assure everyone the council has invested significantly to ensure the bridge opened as early as possible.”