Network Rail is to start repair and improvement work at Claverton Street railway bridge this summer to ensure the continued safe and reliable running of the railway to, from and through the city of Bath.

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 20 June, lasting until Sunday 16 October. To minimise disruption to road users and rail passengers, the refurbishment will take place at night.

Between the hours of 6am and 7pm daily, the road will be open as usual and train services will remain unaffected throughout.

The bridge, which sits 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 that serves the station for at least another 25 years.

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As part of the £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.

To carry out the 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 between 20 June and 16 October seven days a week. 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.

Michael Contopoulos, Network Rail’s 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. Some of our work may be noisy at times and we again apologise if any nearby residents are affected by this work.

"We will be doing all we can to complete this work as quickly and quietly as safely possible, and we would like to thank residents, businesses and road users in advance for their patience and understanding."