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Blackthorn Bridge near Bicester North

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Peter Mugridge

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Just south of Bicester North there are signs about a mile either side of this bridge giving the distance to it. I have been wondering for a while why this particular bridge is labelling in this way when I have never seen any other bridge thus treated.

Is it an important timing point or something?
 
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Railsigns

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Just south of Bicester North there are signs about a mile either side of this bridge giving the distance to it. I have been wondering for a while why this particular bridge is labelling in this way when I have never seen any other bridge thus treated.

The bridge has a history of being hit by lorries. The signs are location markers for trains approaching under caution following advice of a bridge strike.
 

The Planner

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Indeed, used to get hit regularly and the road has been lowered under the bridge as much as possible.
 

furnessvale

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Indeed, used to get hit regularly and the road has been lowered under the bridge as much as possible.

That will just encourage even higher lorries to use that route and the bridge still gets hit.

They should have spent the money on substantial collision beams instead.

There is a great example at Kidsgrove where the loops have been removed but the former bridge beams have been left insitu to protect the running lines bridge.
 

150219

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That will just encourage even higher lorries to use that route and the bridge still gets hit.

They should have spent the money on substantial collision beams instead.

There is a great example at Kidsgrove where the loops have been removed but the former bridge beams have been left insitu to protect the running lines bridge.

In fairness the number of instances of Blackthorn Bridge being struck has substantially reduced, following the work that was undertaken.

Collision beams may or may not necessarily reap any benefits, in the same way that disused spans may or may not make any difference.
 

Cherry_Picker

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That will just encourage even higher lorries to use that route and the bridge still gets hit.

They should have spent the money on substantial collision beams instead.

There is a great example at Kidsgrove where the loops have been removed but the former bridge beams have been left insitu to protect the running lines bridge.


The road beneath the bridge has been lowered. There is a concrete crash barrier surrounding the bridge uprights. There is a highly visible speed camera on the approach to the bridge and there is an overheight vehicle sensor, illuminated sign and alternative routes signposted either side of the bridge.

It's gone from being struck every couple of months to being struck so rarely I cant even tell you when the last incident was. The preventative measures have absolutely worked. The signs on the railway line (which you can see as a passenger) are relics of the era where the bridge did get struck on the regular though, as stated above they were just put up there to speed up the process of helping drivers identify exactly which bridge blackthorn bridge was if they weren't sure.
 

aylesbury

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The speed camera was the subject of a fire bomb attack some time ago but the height sensors seem to be working well.
 
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