Contractor wanted for Surrey road and bridge project

Guildford Borough Council has begun the search for a contractor to build a new congestion-busting bridge.A new bridge and pedestrian crossing will replace the existing level crossing at Ash railway station in Surrey.The council wants to appoint a contractor on a design and build basis for the £26M Ash Road Bridge project. This will involve completing the design for the bridge, constructing the bridge and undertaking maintenance of the bridge necessary before its adoption by the relevant authority.Overall the work will improve safety and reduce congestion at the railway station, with the level crossing currently closing 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 – and the Gatwick to Reading route enhancements are already underway.In addition the bridge will encourage traffic off of rural roads, with cars currently using these other routes to avoid the level crossing. Network Rail consider the level crossing itself as a medium-high risk. There have been some recorded incidents of misuse by vehicles and pedestrians.The scheme will also enable housing that has been allocated in the Local Plan to come forward.Funding for the project is supported by a grant from Homes England’s Housing Infrastructure Fund in addition to developer contributions.Interested bidders have until 17 October to request tender documents. The contract award is scheduled for April 2023.Benefitsdelivers an infrastructure need in the Local Plan – enables housing to be deliveredimproves safety for drivers, pedestrians and cyclists – removes the hazard posed by the present level crossingremoves delays for the local community by easing traffic congestionhelps reduce traffic cutting through residential and rural roads to avoid the level crossingalleviates increased traffic from committed housing developments in Ash and Tongham