End of the road for Mumps Bridge

Iconic Mumps Bridge, being demolished to make way for Metrolink

IT’S the end of an era for one of Oldham’s most famous landmarks as work starts to demolish Mumps Bridge.

The former railway bridge, which stands over Mumps roundabout, is coming down to make way for a new Metrolink line that will run at ground level through the junction.

The northern section of the bridge will be the first to be removed on August 27-31 and a large crane will be used to lift sections out of place.

As a result, the road under the northern bridge — the road leading away from the town centre — will be closed from 7pm on Friday, August 27, until 6am on Tuesday, August 31.

Traffic heading towards Oldham town centre will not be affected. Sign-posted diversions will be in place for traffic leaving the town centre.

The work will be carried out by contractors MPact-Thales.

Council leader Howard Sykes said: “This work is a major milestone in bringing the tram to Oldham and is symbolic of the huge changes we are set to benefit from as a borough.

“Mumps Bridge is the past: Metrolink, connecting our residents, businesses and students better to the Greater Manchester region, is our future. This work will eventually provide a new public transport interchange at Mumps, offering integrated access to commuters using trams and buses, including a Park & Ride scheme. It also enables us to redesign the Mumps area and provide better through routes to the A62, Southlink and the town centre.

”The project will be crucial in positioning us ready to capitalise on the economic recovery — delivering essential new infrastructure that will put us on the map and be a catalyst for future economic development.”

Work to demolish the other half of the bridge will be carried out at a later date.

To find out more about the work, call the Metrolink public liaison team on 0161-244 1555 or send an email to future.metrolink@gmpte.gov.uk