Busy road to close for work on railway bridge

Work will take place on the Portway Overbridge in Frome

A busy road will stay mostly shut for almost two months so a railway bridge can be refurbished.

The Portway Overbridge in Frome, Somerset, is one of several railway bridges constructed in the 1970s which now needs to carry faster and more frequent trains. Network Rail said work was needed to keep it "safe for decades to come".

The A362, which runs under the bridge, will be closed for most of the day and night until 24 November while work is taking place. A diversion route will be in place and a walkway under the bridge will remain open for pedestrians.

The bridge will be grit-blasted, repainted and new anti-collision markings will be installed.

During the road closure, a diversion will be signposted with traffic lights controlling the junctions between Wallbridge and Great Western Street and Wallbridge and The Retreat.

A partial road closure will also be in place between 24 and 28 November. More information about the exact timings of the closures can be found on the Network Rail website.

Train services via Frome will be impacted between 1-2 November, with replacement buses operating between Westbury and Frome.

GWR trains between London Paddington and the South West or between Bristol Temple Meads and Weymouth will use an alternative route not stopping at Frome.

Some trains will operate between Bristol Temple Meads and Westbury instead of Frome.