After the successful installation of a £20m bridge over the West Coast Main Line in Stockport this summer, passengers and local people are being advised about what’s next for the transformative project for road and rail.
Network Rail and its contractor partner Murphy replaced the Greek Street bridge during a 21-day closure of the railway in August.
It saw 200 old concrete beams on the former 67-year-old structure removed using two giant crawler cranes with a combined capacity of 1,300 tonnes. Then, the new bridge parts* were inched into position across a 60m gap above the tracks, and a concrete deck was poured on top.
Replacing the huge structure is vital to keep road users and trains moving safely – with the modern structure’s lifespan at an estimated 120 years.
Today (11 September), details on the next steps for the project this autumn and winter have been revealed ahead of the roundabout that sits on top of the bridge opening next spring (2026).
Over the coming months it will see some further railway closures to improve both rail and road travel on this key junction for traffic and trains in the centre of the town.
On Saturday 4 and Sunday 5 October 2025, the railway will close through Stockport for the weekend to allow the project team to continue the work underneath the new bridge.
Engineers will be removing the now redundant wall in the centre of the tracks and starting work to reinstate the road and walls on the roundabout which sits on top of the bridge.
Passengers travelling between Stoke-on-Trent and Manchester are advised to plan their journey on the first weekend of October, as there will be rail replacement buses in operation.
William Brandon, Network Rail’s project manager, said: “I am immensely proud of the team, who worked so hard to deliver this once-in-a-lifetime project over the summer. I am very grateful to the local community and passengers for their ongoing patience and understanding during the work.
“Though the reconstruction of the bridge is complete, there is still more work to do. To safely install parts of the new roundabout, we need to close the railway again for two days. After that, we will begin to work with utility companies to redivert their services though the bridge, before relaying the road ready for people to use again.”
