AFTER just over a year of construction, Fort Road and the new Fort Road Bridge in Tilbury has reopened following the successful completion of works as part of the Tilbury2 port development and local communities have been thanked for their patience during the build.

First over the new bridge were the Tilbury2 community group who enjoyed an open top bus ride over the bridge to mark the official opening.

The road was closed in late March last year as the existing bridge required to be extended to accommodate the new road and rail link to the Tilbury2 port. Contractors GRAHAM completed the works during which a diversion system was operated sending lorries and other vehicles along rural roads around the West Tilbury area, while there was an increase in light traffic through Tilbury town.

Works should have been completed a couple of months ago but were slightly delayed due to the challenges and restrictions faced during the COVID-19 lockdown.

Thanking the local communities for their support during this road closure, Port of Tilbury Asset manager John Speakman said: "The reopening of Fort Road and the new bridge is another milestone in the development of our new port, Tilbury2.

"The local communities have been incredibly supportive during these works and we know that the closure of this busy road will have impacted on people's regular journeys over the past few months.

"Our own port staff have also had to use the diverted route so the reopening will be of great benefit to many people. I want to express my thanks to the local communities for their patience and continued support as we build this new port in Tilbury. I also want to thank the team from contractors GRAHAM who have delivered this new bridge during these challenging times."

Leo Martin, Managing Director of the civil engineering division at GRAHAM, said: "It is with great pleasure that we announce the reopening of Fort Road with the new Fort Road Bridge, which marks another milestone for Tilbury2. Our team have worked incredibly hard to minimise the timescale of the road closure during the project and even in light of COVID-19 restrictions we have managed to deliver the works with only a minor change to the original programme.

"The team at GRAHAM would like to thank all the local communities surrounding the Port of Tilbury for their patience and cooperation during the road closure. The new port will bring significant benefits to the region and we look forward to it being showcased in action in the coming months."