Station Road, Cross Gates: Dramatic pictures show historic Leeds rail bridge being demolished as closure causes 'mayhem'
Dramatic photos have been shared showing the removal of a 190-year-old railway bridge in Leeds taking place.
Work started over the weekend to remove the historic Station Road railway bridge in Cross Gates, which is being reconstructed to allow for electric trains to travel on the route.
The bridge is currently too low to accommodate the overhead line equipment as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU).
Station Road was closed in both directions and local photographer Matthew Kwasniewski was there to capture pictures of the work taking place.
He said that he took the pictures were taken at 1.15am on Sunday morning just as the bridge was being “broken through”.
Mr Kwasniewski, who lives nearby, said that the traffic was “mayhem” as a result of the closure and that traffic was bottlenecked.
Station Road has been reopened today (Monday) but is set to be closed again from Thursday, July 3, to Monday, July 7, so that the new bridge framework and deck can be installed.
The southband carriageway remains shut for the duration of the works, while one lane of the northbound carriageway is closed to enable work to take place within the central reservation and ensure worker safety.
Speaking previously, Lucy Grogan, spokesperson for TRU, said: “Station Road bridge, which was originally built between 1830 and 1834, was widened in 1936 and again in 1953. This latest major upgrade in its life is crucial in enabling TRU to transform rail journeys by better connecting towns and cities across the North.
“We appreciate that this road closure will unfortunately cause inconvenience to the community, so we have worked closely with Leeds City Council to agree diversionary routes to help keep traffic moving, and we thank everyone for their patience and understanding.”