VIDEO: Crossley's Bridge re-opens - bringing six months' of traffic misery to an end

Crossley's Bridge, one of the main routes between Blackpool and Bispham, Cleveleys, and Fleetwood, has re-opened this evening.
The bridge re-opened minutes before the council's 8pm deadlineThe bridge re-opened minutes before the council's 8pm deadline
The bridge re-opened minutes before the council's 8pm deadline

Some motorists even beeped their horns as six months' of traffic misery were brought to an end shortly before the advertised time of 8pm.

However, restrictions will remain in place until late July as work continues on the Plymouth Road bridge, which the town hall said had to be replaced in a £6.1m project because the old one was rotting.

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It was heightened at the same time to allow Network Rail, which contributed £1m, to carry out electrification work on the railway line running below.

The bridge re-opened minutes before the council's 8pm deadlineThe bridge re-opened minutes before the council's 8pm deadline
The bridge re-opened minutes before the council's 8pm deadline

Earlier today, Adam Norman, the project manager at Story Contracting, hired by the council to complete the work, said it was a 'great achievement from all involved in the project'.

He added: "It’s fantastic to have reached this significant milestone in the bridge replacement project ahead of the Easter holidays."

For more information, including on the bus stops in Westcliffe Drive and Layton, which are now 'under review', the impact on emergency service response times, and what's now going to happen to the historic plaque from the original bridge, see tomorrow's Gazette.

How The Gazette covered the closure:

There remains more work to be carried out - that should be finished by the end of July, town hall officials saidThere remains more work to be carried out - that should be finished by the end of July, town hall officials said
There remains more work to be carried out - that should be finished by the end of July, town hall officials said
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The bridge re-opened minutes before the council's 8pm deadlineThe bridge re-opened minutes before the council's 8pm deadline
The bridge re-opened minutes before the council's 8pm deadline
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There remains more work to be carried out - that should be finished by the end of July, town hall officials saidThere remains more work to be carried out - that should be finished by the end of July, town hall officials said
There remains more work to be carried out - that should be finished by the end of July, town hall officials said
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April 7, 2017: Crossley's Bridge re-opens to traffic minutes before 8pm

April 8, 2017: The latest on the bus stops in Layton, which are under review, the old bridge's plaque, the impact on ambulances, reaction, and more.