A BRIDGE rebuilding project that will close a town centre road for more than 10 months will get underway next week.

Network Rail will begin work to demolish and rebuild Orlando Bridge, off Manchester Road, on Tuesday — a scheme that will take 43 weeks to complete.

The building work, which is necessary to prepare the area for the introduction of new electric trains, was set to begin last month but was delayed and will now get underway next week.

Significant work is needed to maintain the bridge, which Network Rail has described as already “approaching the end of its life” and this will result in Orlando Street, which runs over the bridge, being closed for the entirety of the project.

Earlier this year, the bridge, which is owned by Network Rail, had bollards installed on it to narrow the access route, following a safety inspection, which have prevented heavy goods vehicles travelling across it.

The bridge is the latest in a line of railway bridges being rebuilt on the Bolton corridor as part of plans to prepare the area for the electrification of the network.

Network Rail said it has planned the work to coincide with major railway closures in place because of work to rebuild the Farnworth Tunnels in order to “minimise” the impact on passengers.

Terry Strickland, area director for Network Rail, said: “This is a significant road closure in the centre of Bolton and we have carefully planned the work to be completed in the shortest, safest amount of time. “These are essential repairs which are vital to maintain the safety of the bridge for years to come.

“We are also taking the opportunity to make alterations to the structure which will enable us to progress our investment in the railway.”

David Chadwick, Bolton Council's cabinet member for transport, said the disruption is “less than ideal” but will ultimately be a great benefit for Bolton.

He added: “Like with all of these things, unfortunately people are going to be inconvenienced and we apologise for that but we will eventually have a brand new bridge and that is good for the town.

“This is a very big bridge and we could have faced the prospect of it being shut altogether, so we are pleased that Network Rail is rebuilding it.”