BRIDGE WATCH DAY 17: Corby bridge will open on Friday, rail bosses confirm

The long-awaited opening of Corby's Cottingham Road bridge will take place on Friday (October 19), Network Rail has confirmed.

The closure as part of the Midland Main Line upgrade, which began in January, was initially due to end on August 14 but that was then extended to September 10, and then September 29 with little notice.

And it was announced just days before the closure was due to end that it would now be extended to October 19.

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Network Rail said, at a passionate public meeting, that the road would open on that date but would be one-way with temporary traffic lights.

There had been a suggestion of keeping the road closed until November 26 before re-opening it fully, but readers who voted in our poll said they preferred the October 19 option.

And this week a Network Rail spokesman confirmed the road would open on Friday instead of the suggested November option.

In a letter to Corby MP Tom Pursglove, Network Rail route managing director Rob McIntosh offered his sincere apologies for the delay.

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He said: “I appreciate the very significant impact which the extended closure of the bridge has had for businesses, especially those located in Corby Old Town, and also the continued patience which our stakeholders have shown whilst this essential work is finished.

“The impact of the delay is not something which Network Rail has taken lightly.”

He added that his team is in the process of discussing compensation with each affected business individually.

Mr Pursglove said it was a ‘welcome response’.

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