The level crossing on Guildford Road, A323, is a hotspot for traffic congestion. The crossing closes around 150 times a day, with barriers down for almost 25 minutes per hour.
Plans to build a new bridge across the rail tracks to avoid the crossing have been in development for some time, and works are now set to start next month on Tuesday 19th September. The construction project is expected to take approximately 18 months to be completed.
Once finished, the level crossing will be permanently closed to motorised vehicles with traffic re-routed across the new bridge. This will not only reduce traffic congestion in the area, but also improve safety for local residents and users of Ash train station.
It's hoped that when new bridge opens, it'll encourage road users to come off rural lanes, such as Harper's Road, improving road safety around Ash Parish and Tongham.
The total cost for the construction project is currently set at £44.5 million.
Guildford Borough Council will be running two drop-in sessions for residents at the Small Hall at the Ash Centre, Ash Hill Road, GU12 5DP, to find out further information on the bridge project, on the following dates:
- Thursday 21st September - 15:00 to 20:00
- Friday 22nd September - 15:00 to 20:00
The planning application for the bridge - 19/P/01460 - can be found here.
Pictured, a CGI rendering of the bridge design (photo credit: Guildford Borough Council), and the design landscape for the bridge
