Saturday 19th November

Very little change from last week.  The works compound is a little more advanced but apart from that everything is pretty much as it was.   I spoke with a contact from the Countryside Management Services who look after the Bury Mead Springs conservation area which includes Gerry's Hole.  They were told that they were not allowed to enter the area after the 1st October for up to two years.  They will have a lot of catching up to do afterwards.    They (Network Rail) are apparently going to create a settlement lagoon to take the run-off from the viaduct to prevent any contamination entering the marshes and subsequently the River Hiz.  Whilst there I took a few more photos of Grove Road and Bury Mead Road.

This one is for a now and then comparison of the one I posted earlier.  The trees on the right are  bigger now and obscure the arch that the River Hiz runs under.  A recent addition which is hard to make out are railings across the bridge.   Strangely there have always been railings on the other side but these ones have only appeared in the last year.  Sadly there is graffiti on the right which Network Rail have removed more than once.  This bridge is much larger than the next one South in Cambridge Road because it once carried the four main lines and the two Bedford branch lines.  Interestingly there are only two arches this side but four on the other former Great Northern side.  I am guessing the Midland added their bit to the existing bridge and were more cost conscious by only building what was necessary. 

This is a shot looking North from Grove Road along the embankment.  I expect that tree clearance will commence here soon.  The fence on the right is also relatively new possibly in anticipation of the forthcoming works.  It extends as far as the Sewage Treatment Works which can be seen top left.

This was taken further along Bury Mead Road and looks across the Shanks waste transfer station in the foreground with the sewage works behind.