HIGHWAYS chiefs yesterday celebrated the opening of a £3m replacement rail bridge.

The event marks the last of the urgent work needed to be carried out on bridges deemed high risk which cross the East Coast Main Line in County Durham - and an important milestone in the campaign by The Northern Echo to end the scandal of Britain's dangerous railway bridges.

The £3m Relley Bridge, at Stonebridge, near Durham City, was one of several where safety improvements were carried out in the wake of the Selby disaster in North Yorkshire. Durham County Council was the first highways authority to take action after the Selby crash at Great Heck on February 28, 2001, when a vehicle and trailer rolled down a rail embankment and derailed a high speed train, claiming ten lives.

The authority identified a number of bridges where it considered safety improvements were necessary and has now carried out work on all of them at a cost of £400,000.

County council transport strategy and design Berney Johnson said: "There had been no space available to build a safety barrier over Relley Bridge."

The bridge was deemed to be high risk and Mr Johnson said it was necessary to protect the railway line.

He said: "This is the last top priority scheme. We are delighted to see it completed."

Mr Johnson said as an added bonus Network Rail had indicated it had enough money to meet half the costs of all the works carried out by the county.

Children from Ushaw Moor Infant and Junior schools and St Joseph's RC Primary joined county council deputy leader, Councillor Don Ross in cutting the ribbon yesterday.

The bridge, carrying the B3602, was slotted into place using powerful jacks and rollers, at a speed of only 24 metres an hour.

The Northern Echo launched its Scandal of the Railway Bridges campaign in the wake of the Selby disaster.

The campaign aims to improve safety of bridges over rail lines, and was heralded by the Prime Minister Tony Blair as the driving force behind a change in Government policy designed to speed safety work.

North Yorkshire County Council has completed safety works amounting to £800,000 on all 14 road bridges deemed to be a high risk over the East Coast Main Line. The authority is now examining bridges deemed to be a medium risk.

Read more about the Railway bridges scandalhere.