Contractor J Murphy and Sons is teaming up with Network Rail to replace the central spans of Nazeing New Road bridge from early January.

The work will require a four-month road closure and changes to train services.

The existing bridge sits over the West Anglia Main Line railway that carries trains between London and Hertfordshire, Essex and Cambridgeshire.

The condition and age of the bridge requires a regular maintenance and inspection regime to keep it safe for road and rail users. Despite remedial works being carried out between 2010-14, the bridge has continued to deteriorate and has reached the end of its useful life. It now needs to be fully replaced to avoid prolonged closure of this busy road across the railway. The new bridge is being designed to last 120 years.

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The road will be closed from Tuesday 3 January 2023 until Sunday 30 April 2023 to allow the bridge replacement work to be completed. During this time, pedestrian and vehicle diversionary routes will be signposted.

The main work to remove the existing spans and install new ones will take place from Friday 13 to Wednesday 18 January inclusive. During these six consecutive days train services will be suspended and Greater Anglia has arranged rail replacement buses and ticket acceptance to allow passengers to complete their journeys.

Passengers should check before they travel through the Greater Anglia and National Rail websites, as well as other journey planning apps.

Gas, electricity and internet connections that run across the bridge have already been redirected over a temporary structure. This work was carried out during single lane closures earlier this year. These services will be installed through the new structure which will be done during the full road closure. No impact on local people’s use of these services is expected.

Ellie Burrows, Network Rail's route director for Anglia, said: "I'm sorry for the disruption that this work will cause to residents and rail users but if we don’t do this work now, it could lead to a much more disruptive closure at short notice. We’ve been working closely with community groups, local councils and schools to keep them informed of our plans and reduce the impact of the closure. Replacing the bridge will enable us to maintain a safe and reliable route for motorists, pedestrians and rail users for years to come."