The current Common Lane overbridge dates from 1900-01, when the number of railway tracks through Church Fenton was doubled.
Routine bridge inspections by Network Rail have confirmed that the bridge is nearing the end of its asset life, and would need to be replaced during 2027.
The Transpennine Route Upgrade is starting the replacement of the bridge a year earlier, as the current structure is too low to accommodate the overhead line equipment needed to power greener, quieter electric trains.
This means all the necessary work can be done at the same time, reducing disruption to the community in the future.
To enable this work to be safely carried out, the section of Common Lane over the railway bridge will be closed to traffic between 13 July 2026 and 4 June 2027. The rest of Common Lane will remain open.
This will firstly enable utility services to be carefully diverted, one by one, onto a temporary service bridge before the existing bridge is removed.
Then, once the new bridge is in place, the utility services will then be diverted back into their permanent position on the new bridge before work to re-instate the road surface and footway can take place.
The proposed signed diversionary route for vehicles, will be via Sherburn-in-Elmet to the south, as shown in blue on the map below.
All other roads in the area will remain open.
To maintain pedestrian access over the railway line at all times, a temporary extension to the existing station footbridge will be installed before Common Lane bridge is closed and removed.
This will enable a link to be maintained between Sandwath Lane to the west and Station Road to the east via the station footbridge as shown below.
A temporary scaffold service bridge is also being installed to the north side of Common Lane bridge to divert utility services across the line (water, sewer, electric and BT) whilst Common Lane bridge is being replaced.
Both will be removed following completion of the work.
June 2026: Construction of a temporary pedestrian extension to the existing Church Fenton Station footbridge for use throughout the Common Lane overbridge construction works. This will provide a link between Sandwath Lane on the west to Station Road on the east.
July 2026: Road closure of Common Lane over the railway bridge. This will allow electric, water and BT utilities to be diverted. A Temporary Traffic Regulation Order (TTRO) has been submitted to support this.
September 2026: Crane pad constructed adjacent to the bridge and railway lines in the corner of our Rose Lane temporary compound to assist in the bridge removal and installation. A separate crane to the east of the railway line in the Bridge Close area will no longer be needed.
10-11 October 2026: Removal of the existing metal bridge deck. This will be moved the short distance into our compound for dismantling. To safely enable this to take place, there will be a weekend closure of all railway lines through Church Fenton.
17-18 October 2026: Demolition of the existing brick arch bridge section. To safely enable this to take place, there will be a weekend closure of the railway line to/from Leeds. York to Selby/Hull/Sheffield trains will run.
24 October to 1 November 2026: Installation of the new bridge beams, deck, parapets and overhead line equipment supports. To safely enable this to take place, there will be a nine day closure of all railway lines through Church Fenton.
October to December 2026: Further construction work and waterproofing of the new structure.
January to April 2027: Utilities diverted back onto the new bridge.
April 2027: Removal of the temporary service bridge.
April to June 2027: Re-instatement of the road surface, barriers, signage and lighting.
5 June 2027: The new Common Lane bridge re-opens to traffic and pedestrians.
June 2027: Removal of the temporary pedestrian bridge and demobilisation of the construction compound at Rose Lane.
