MORE than half a million pounds is to be invested in safety measures on one of the region's railway bridges.

Refurbishment work on the Neville's Cross bridge, on the A167 near Durham, got under way earlier this week and is due to be completed by mid-December.

The contract - which is valued at about £550,000 - has been awarded to Balfour Beatty, with Halcrow UK acting as supervising agents for the Highways Agency.

The work will involve the installation of barriers to protect the parapets and improvements to the deck waterproofing on the bridge.

Andrew Vigrass, project sponsor for the Highways Agency, said: "The Highways Agency is providing substantial barriers across the bridge to protect the existing bridge parapets.

"During a routine inspection of the bridge it was noted that the brick parapets did not meet current standards. We are undertaking the work to bring the bridge up to those standards.

"Whilst the works are in place, we are taking the opportunity to improve the waterproofing of the bridge to prevent deterioration of the structure."

He warned motorists that the essential repairs would cause disruption on the roads.

He said: "In order to provide for safe working conditions it will be necessary, on occasion, to restrict traffic to one lane through the works.

"This single lane running will be limited to off-peak times and only minor delays are expected."

The lane will be controlled by traffic lights.

The Northern Echo launched a campaign last year in the wake of the Selby rail disaster calling for improvements to many railway bridges in the region.

We inspected 50 road-over-rail bridges on the East Coast Main Line, between Newcastle and York, and found the majority had inadequate protection to shield drivers from the tracks.

Earlier this year, Prime Minister Tony Blair pledged to end the scandal of Britain's crumbling railway bridges.

The issue of who pays for improvements had long been a bone of contention between local authorities, the Highways Agency and Railtrack.

Highways Agency officials stressed yesterday that the Neville's Cross bridge was not considered a danger.

Read more about the Railway bridges scandal campaign here.