Cowdray Bridge, A133 Cowdray Avenue, Colchester

Works location and photos

About the bridge

Cowdray Bridge carries the A133 Cowdray Avenue over the Colchester to Clacton main railway line in Colchester.

Any works carried out on the structure are done so with the permission of Network Rail to ensure the safety of the railway line is maintained.

In 2021 structural repairs were carried out to Cowdray Bridge, including strengthening works to the retaining wall located to the south and west of the Ipswich Rd roundabout.

Temporary fencing initially installed to prevent access and protection to pedestrians from overhead lines has also been upgraded.

Cowdray Bridge continues to be monitored on a routine basis so we can identify future opportunities to maintain and improve the structure and keep the travelling public safe.

Current work plans for February 2024

Arrangements have been made to carry out trial hole investigations and checks to the structure and surfacing to determine its current condition.  Information obtained will be used to inform future bridge works and carriageway maintenance.

The work will be carried out overnight on 5 and 6 February 2024 between the hours of 9pm and 5am.  Due to the nature of the work a temporary lane reduction will be needed to safely separate vehicles from our workforce.  Traffic will be managed by a temporary contraflow arrangement overnight, which will be lifted during the daytime.

Pedestrian access will remain unaffected by our works.

Some increase in noise levels is expected during this time due to excavations taking place.  Efforts will be made to keep disruption to a minimum by carrying out the noisiest operations during the first part of the shift up to 11pm, allowing less noisy activities continue thereafter. 

Further information 

Please note that planned works may be subject to change if affected by poor weather or if unexpected issues arise.

We aim to keep residents and businesses updated via this webpage and site signage.  

For details about other roadworks in the area please visit: one.network or the @essexhighways twitter feed.