A78 in North Ayrshire to close this week for railway bridge survey

The A78 will close at [1] in North Ayrshire on Wednesday, Thursday and early Friday morning (22-24 November) while [2] engineers survey the railway bridge.

The closures will be:

  • Eastbound carriageway: from 22:00hrs on Wednesday until 06:00hrs on Thursday
  • Westbound carriageway: from 22:00hrs on Thursday until 06:00hrs on Friday
Footbridge at Kilwinning station Kilwining station // Credit: Network Rail

Network Rail engineers will be conducting a structural survey of the railway bridge (named 162/016A Kilwinning bypass), while Coneworx on behalf of Network Rail will manage the closed section of road and will put out warning signs in advance of the closure and diversion signs out during it.

This follows similar work on another bridge on the A78 last year[3], around twenty miles away at Wemyss Bay.

A78 Old Shore Road bridge to be surfaced A78 Old Shore Road bridge near Wemyss Bay // Credit: Network Rail

Darren Dickson, Project Manager for Network Rail, said: “The work we're undertaking will provide vital information on the condition of this railway bridge is crucial for the long-term future reliability of the line.

“Working on the railway at night offers the safest environment for our teams and causes the least [4] to our passengers and freight trains. However, we understand the inconvenience this work will cause some people.

“We would like to thank those affected for their patience and understanding and offer assurances that every effort has been made to reduce the impact of our activities as much as possible.”

References

  1. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)
  2. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)
  3. ^ similar work on another bridge on the A78 last year (www.railadvent.co.uk)
  4. ^ (www.railadvent.co.uk)