ACCESS to Parklea playing fields will be restricted next month as a £500,000 project begins to demolish and rebuild a railway bridge.

Work has started, pictured, to prepare for the demolition and reconstruction of the bridge which enables access to the pitches in Port Glasgow.

The work is required due to corrosion in the existing bridge structure and defects in the supporting masonry and rail chiefs say it must be replaced.

Motorists and pedestrians are being warned that Glasgow Road in Port Glasgow will be closed between Heggies Avenue and Silverbirch Wynd from 6am on Friday January 10 until 5pm on Monday January 13.

Crews will lift the railway and demolish and reconstruct the bridge deck, relay the rails and undertake repairs on the masonry side-walls over 52 hours of continuous working.

The short-term closure of Glasgow Road is in addition to the closure of Parklea Road which commended earlier this month and will stay in effect until January 24.

Work at Parklea is taking place on one of two consecutive weekends in January when trains are not running on the line through Port Glasgow and Greenock, due to the £2m bridge repairs at Dellingburn Street in Greenock.

Network Rail say that work will begin after close of service next on Fridays January 3 and 10.

Engineers will then work continuously round the clock before the line re-opens for normal service on Mondays January 6 and 13.

Buses will replace trains during the closure.

A Network Rail spokesperson said: “The access to Parklea playing fields is one of a number of bridges we are repairing or replacing as part of our wider programme of maintenance and enhancement of our structures.

“We have scheduled the work in a way that minimises disruption for road and rail users with this bridge being replaced while the line is already closed to enable work on the railway bridge at Dellingburn Street in Greenock.

"We apologise for any inconvenience and thank the local communities for their patience as we deliver this investment in Scotland’s railway.”