Bridge at Ufton Nervet level crossing will be built "very shortly"

On November 6, 2004 a London to Plymouth First Great Western service struck a car which had been deliberately parked onto the half-barrier crossing.
Since then a further four people have died at the crossing, the latest of which was 60-year old Gary Provins from Calcot who died on October 16 after being hit by a train.
Speaking to the Newbury Weekly News just a fortnight ago, Ufton Nervet crash survivor Jane Hawker led the calls for safety improvements at the crossing.
She said: ““How many more people have to die before something is done? It is terrible complacency and this needs to be finally sorted.”
But following the fresh safety calls for a bridge, the cost of which Network Rail admitted to the Newbury Weeklty News two weeks ago they had “significantly underestimated,” the work is expected to go ahead soon.
Network Rail said today (Wednesday): “Since announcing our determination to build a bridge over the railway at Ufton Nervet we have been carrying out in-depth design work and assessing the best way of placing a large structure on a complicated and constricted site, near a busy road and a river.
The rail giant added: “The investment into the modernisation of the Great Western Main Line has given us access to the substantial funding needed and we hope to be able to proceed very shortly."
For more on this story pick up tomorrow's copy of Newbury Weekly News.