Temporary highway, Royal Wootton Bassett, Wiltshire (2 of 2)

Image: © Brian Robert Marshall Taken: 8 Mar 2016

The main railway from London Paddington to the west country and Wales is being converted to electric traction. One of the engineering challenges at various places along the line is providing sufficient headroom to allow the power cables to pass beneath bridges over the line. The preferred option is to raise the bridge by the required amount. In some cases where the bridge is a listed building the alternative is to lower the track-bed. In Royal Wootton Bassett there are three road bridges which have to be raised over the next couple of years. In order to minimise disruption to road traffic a temporary road has been built that will allow traffic to enter the town from the south and west without having to make the massive detours that would otherwise be necessary. The first bridge to be raised is the easternmost of the three known locally as Broad Town Bridge at SU06988174. When that has been completed and the road it carries reopened, attention will be turned to the pair of bridges known collectively as Skew Bridge which lie either side of SU06168197. As is inevitable with large infrastructure projects this one has generated some controversy locally with local residents complaining about lack of privacy and increased noise. Despite assurances there is also a fear that the road will be made permanent. This east-facing image shows the fence installed as part of the sound-reduction and privacy strategy.

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