23/12/2009 - Christmas bridge demolition for CNDR

A major bridge over the west coast main line railway will be demolished at Christmas as construction of the Carlisle Northern Development Route (CNDR) forges ahead.

Despite dealing with a major recovery effort in west Cumbria following the unprecedented flooding that hit the county, Cumbria County Council has ensured its landmark CNDR scheme is progressing as planned and to schedule.

The existing Kingmoor Railway Bridge north of Carlisle is being replaced with a new two-lane bridge that will form an integral part of CNDR –a new bypass to cut journey times in Carlisle and reduce the number of vehicles travelling through the city centre.

Demolition of the old bridge will take place over a 106 hour period in total starting on Christmas Day. The critical demolition phase will happen over a 58.5-hour period when the west coast main line is closed, starting in the early hours of Christmas morning. 

To help ensure traffic disruption is kept to a minimum, a temporary bridge is now in use that has enabled preparatory works to be undertaken prior to the start of the main demolition works. 

The temporary bridge has been in operation since November 27 to carry traffic travelling along the road from Cargo and Rockliffe to Carlisle. For safety reasons during the Christmas demolition this road crossing will also be closed and a signposted temporary diversions put in place.

The road closure has been advertised and will be in place from 2pm on Christmas Eve and is expected to be in place until 2pm on Tuesday December 29.

Councillor Tony Markley, Cumbria County Council’s cabinet member for highways, said: "While our efforts have been very much focused on recovering from the unprecedented floods over the last month or so, our other vital projects are continuing as planned.

"CNDR is going to bring massive transport and economic improvements not just to Carlisle but to west Cumbria as well and putting in a new Kingmoor Rail Bridge is an important feature of the scheme."

The new Kingmoor Railway Bridge is due to be completed by Autumn 2010.

Major construction of CNDR got underway in October and the northern end of the new road is set to be open by August 2011, with the whole road open by April 2012.

ENDS

Media enquiries to media officer John Ballard on 01228 226330