Brayford bridge behind schedule as closure extended again

Drivers and pedestrians will have to deal with further delays after Network Rail revealed the Brayford level crossing footbridge project will now take until mid-May to complete.

Pedestrians will now have to wait a further two months before they can use the route. They will have to continue using diversions to get from one side of the Brayford to the other. 

The new finish date for the project is Tuesday, May 14 with the road and the level crossing reopening the following day (Wednesday, May 15).

Network Rail has apologised to motorists, pedestrians and residents in Lincoln as the timescales for the project have changed and will now take longer than originally planned.

This is because additional support work is needed for the crane which will be used to lift in the footbridge.

The closure will also be in place to traffic for over a week longer than originally scheduled.

Network Rail engineers will be working longer hours to keep the impact of this additional work to a minimum. Reporters asked if this meant the project would be over budget, but the final figures will not be known until the end of the project.

Further delays

How the footbridge will look once it’s complete

As previously reported, works to build a footbridge over Brayford Wharf East rail crossing were initially due to start at the beginning of October but this was delayed.

Work finally started on Monday, October 29 on the project that will see a stepped footbridge installed which will provide access for pedestrians and cyclists across a busy railway line.

Brayford Wharf East was due to be closed to traffic for six months until Monday, May 6 but this has now been extended.

The crossing was closed off to pedestrians in January, with the finish date initially delayed until Monday, March 4 at the earliest. However, it will now also take longer before it re-opens to pedestrians.

Network Rail statement

Route Delivery Director for Network Rail Rob Cairns said: “We’d like to apologise for this further delay to the work at Brayford Wharf East level crossing. We completely understand that this is disruptive, and we’d like to thank the people of Lincoln for their continued patience.

“We are working as hard as we can to get the project, which will better connect the City of Lincoln safely, completed as quickly as possible and we continue to work closely with our partners in the area to reinstate access to the university as quickly as possible.”

When The Lincolnite spoke to Network Rail back in January the company insisted the footbridge “will be worth it”.