RECONSTRUCTION to a railway bridge in a village near Winchester is due to start next month despite residents’ fears it will increase traffic.

Network Rail wants to increase the height of Down Farm Lane bridge, in Headbourne Worthy, and revamp it to allow increasing numbers of freight trains to use it.

In a meeting with residents last Friday a presentation from the company said: “The bridge has shown steady deterioration over the years and it has been necessary for Network Rail to undertake monthly examinations to mitigate risk.

“A decision has been made to reconstruct the superstructure as strengthening and repair is considered to be uneconomical and impractical.”

Documents shown at the consultation said the works will start on March 30 and are expected to take 11 weeks while the track and signalling is removed, the bridge demolished, reconstructed and reinstated.

It also said the height will be increased by 28.2cm, which residents and councillors recently campaigned against saying it will allow heavy vehicles through to nearby 2,000-home Barton Farm development.

Workers will be on site from March 2 for preparation.

The road will be closed weekdays from March 30 to April 17, excluding bank holidays, the weekend of April 18-20, and fully from May 1-31, between a point 200 metres north-west of its junction with Wellhouse Lane and a point 800 metres north-west of that junction.

Jane Rutter, Headbourne Worthy parish and Winchester city councillor, said she was pleased to see “so many people” at the consultation who mostly shared hers and the parish council’s view that the bridge height should not be raised.

“That was the message that Network Rail took away loud and clear and they did promise that they would do all that they could to keep the height and we will wait to see what proposals they come forward with,” she said.

Nobody from Network Rail has responded for comment.