A busy road will be closed to traffic for nearly 150 days as Network Rail has started essential structural improvement works on the bridge over Priory Road.

While a pedestrian route will continue to be available, the road underneath the bridge near St Denys station will remain closed for 20 weeks from now until July 10.

Between now and March 2, workers will start to set their site up, erecting scaffolding which will be used to undertake repairs.

From March 3 until April 11, Network Rail workers will bust and drill rivets, install steel strengthening measures and repaint the underside of the structure.

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For one week after that, the railway line will be closed and contractors will work 24 hours a day to deliver repairs on top of the bridge.

Network Rail warns that noisy tools and machinery will be used until April 18 to erect and dismantle scaffolding.

From April 19, works will be finished off and snagging issues will be dealt with, before the road closure is lifted on the provisional date of July 10.

Completion works, snagging, post-work surveys, scaffold dismantling, demobilisation and lifting of road closure.

Network Rail said: "Due to the tools that we will be using you may experience some disturbance while we undertake the works, but every effort will be made to minimise as much noise as possible and conduct the noisiest works during daytime hours."