Ash Road Bridge: Work on 18-month Project to Start in September

Published on: 11 Aug, 2023
Updated on: 14 Aug, 2023

A CGI of how the Ash Road Bridge will look.

By David Reading

Construction work on the new £45 million Ash road bridge, which will take traffic over the railway line, is scheduled to begin next month (September).

Site preparation and pre-construction operations began in late July and the work is expected to take about 18 months.

A statement from Guildford Borough Council says the scheme will enable housing that has been allocated in the Local Plan to come forward.

Volker Fitzpatrick has been appointed as the main contractor for the project.

Once the bridge is open, Ash level crossing will be closed to motorised vehicles and GBC’s statement says this will end traffic congestion at this Ash “hotspot” and will mean increased safety for local residents and rail passengers.

The statement says: “The scheme will encourage traffic off rural roads. Traffic currently uses rural roads to avoid the level crossing. It will remove the safety hazard posed by the present level crossing. Network Rail considers the level crossing as a medium-high risk. There have been some recorded incidents of misuse by vehicles and pedestrians.

“The scheme will end the existing traffic congestion hotspot. The level crossing causes delays to vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists. It closes around eight times an hour or 150 times a day. This currently amounts to closure periods of up to 25 minutes per hour. Delays are likely to increase with the planned enhancement of passenger train services. The Gatwick to Reading route enhancements are already underway.”

Responses to Ash Road Bridge: Work on 18-month Project to Start in September

Sylvia Flanagan Reply

August 13, 2023 at 12:07 pm

I ask this question because I care about the community. I have looked again at the map of the proposed route hoping I was reading it wrong.

Please, can someone tell us how badly affected the residents on the new Wildflower Estate, ie the ones right next to the new railway bridge diversion road will be affected? How can it be safe?

It’s no good saying it will end the existing traffic hot spot when it will cause misery for other people. The tailbacks will be vehicles moving from the new bridge to get out at the Dover Arms roundabout which I think is being enlarged.

Will these residents get compensation when new road and bridge are open?
- Sura Liyanage Reply
  
  August 14, 2023 at 11:16 am
  
  If the authorities have to pay compensation for all residents, affected by change, either side of UK roads, taxpayers like me will have to work even harder.
  
  This is not the first place a road has gone close to a housing scheme. Surely this was considered in the design phase of the scheme?
Frank Emery Reply

August 18, 2023 at 9:46 am

The plans for the new bridge must surely have been known when the Wildflower Estate plans were being laid down. The people who purchased houses on the estate, I hope, would have been informed of the pending works.