Selhurst Road will close for a month over Christmas while Network Rail replaces the 165-year-old bridge that carries trains over the road.
The road, beneath Selhurst Bridge, will be closed from 8am on Saturday, December 12 until 5pm on Sunday, January 10.
The Victorian-era bridge has reached the “end of its serviceable life”, according to Network Rail. The bridge has been transporting trains across the road for around 165 years.
The replacement of the bridge is part of a “significant engineering project” and will mean that the adjoining Edith Road will also be closed to vehicles, but will still be accessible to pedestrians.
The road closure is due to the discovery of underground utility pipes beneath the road during the planning stages of the project. This means that a conventional heavy-lift crane cannot be used to safely install the new bridge.
Instead, engineers will remove the existing bridge and install a new structure using Self-Propelled Modular Transporters (SPMTs). These remotely-controlled vehicles are designed to move extremely heavy structures safely and precisely.
This alternative construction method means that the road will need to be closed for longer.
Network Rail says it has scheduled the work over the Christmas and New Year period to reduce disruption as road traffic and rail passenger numbers are typically lower at this time of year.
The month-long closure will affect drivers, buses and pedestrians in Selhurst and Thornton Heath over Christmas and the New Year, with the road shut through the busiest shopping weeks of the festive season and into the first full working week of January.
Selhurst Road has already seen disruption this autumn: a crash shut the road in Thornton Heath on October 22 as delays built. Southern passengers have also faced disruption this week from late-night engineering works.
