Motorists will be tooting their horns in celebration after it was confirmed Brook Lane bridge is reopening ahead of schedule.
The decrepit bridge in Newton , Chester , had to be replaced but the work has caused months of traffic disruption.
Now Network Rail has confirmed the bridge is reopening tomorrow afternoon (Friday, May 5) – three days ahead of the publicised date.
A spokesperson said: “Brook Lane bridge will reopen at 2pm on Friday (5 May) after work was completed ahead of schedule. We thank local people for their patience while this essential work was carried out.”
Brook Lane is a key cross-city route so its closure has made getting around Chester more difficult with displaced traffic causing problems during peak times at the Mill Lane bottleneck near Morrisons where the road becomes one-way only.
The site was prepared between September and early November last year with the work completed three weeks ahead of schedule.
And the second phase, which began on January 3, was to remove the aging structure and lift the new bridge into place using giant cranes. Resurfacing took place last week and the white lining took place on Wednesday of this week.
The new bridge is future-proofed so that it can take overhead electric cables to power the trains that run below if the electrified third rail is ever replaced.
Originally the bridge was due to reopen in June but the timetable was moved forward to accommodate the Boodles May Festival (May 10-12) when traffic in the city is heavier than normal.
