Footbridge beside Strand on the Green Junior School reopens

Pedestrian bridge over the railway lines linking Strand on the Green and Chiswick Village

Emergency work and maintenance completed ahead of schedule

The footbridge over the railway at Strand on the Green has reopened.

It was closed without warning on Friday 24 July when ‘serious structural defects’ were discovered during routine maintenance and a Network Rail team has been working on it at weekends ever since.

READ ALSO: Railway footbridge beside Chiswick Village closed after ‘serious structural defects’ discovered

They estimated the work would take five weeks, but the site foreman was pleased to tell The Chiswick Calendar they had completed it ahead of schedule. The bridge is used in term time by parents taking children to and from Strand on the Green Juniors and Infants schools.

Network Rail team finishing off the work on site on Sunday

Network Rail team’s work nearly undone by a fire

The Network Rail team has replaced the transoms – horizontal structural beams, and braces – diagonal beams, supporting the bridge. They have stripped off three layers of paint and repainted it and replaced the rotting wooden treads on the stairs.

They were criticised by local residents for the noisy work which went on till nearly 10pm some nights, and for the lack of warning about it, but the job was unplanned, an emergency repair job, and they have been on a deadline to get the work finished before the start of term.

Their handiwork was nearly undone by a fire in the grounds of Strand on the Green Junior School on Saturday (15 August), in a corner right beside the bridge, but it was quickly extinguished by firemen.

READ ALSO: Firefighters extinguish small fire in the grounds of Strand on the Green Junior School

Network Rail’s CCTV camera was destroyed in the fire.

London Fire Brigade firefighters put out the fire beside the footbridge at Strand on the Green