THIS IS the first look residents will have of a new bridge to replace the Ufton Nervet level crossing.

The artist impression will be on display at a public meeting today at Sulhamstead village hall from 3pm-8pm.

Network Rail is proposing to replace the level crossing at Ufton Nervet with a bridge to completely separate road and rail traffic, after multiple incidents of deliberate misuse occurred, following a collision between a train and a car in 2004, where seven people died and 71 people were injured.

Victoria Bradley, media relations manager at Network Rail, said: “The purpose of this meeting is to share our proposal with the public. We are putting in a planning application for the bridge so the meeting is to keep residents updated.”

The company have been working closely with West Berkshire Council since plans were announced for the bridge last year,

She said: “We are hoping, if everything goes to plan, that work would start early next year and it would take around 12 months to be completed.”

Daniel Collins, Network Rail’s scheme sponsor for the project, said: “We are now in the process of finalising our proposal and are therefore in a position to share it with the public, which is why we are holding this drop-in event. All are welcome and I’d urge anyone who wants to know more about our plans, or has a question they’d like answered, to come along.”

The new bridge is estimated to cost £8 million.