Bridge plan for level crossing

A bridge could finally be built at a Mansfield level crossing where a dad-of-three was killed in an accident.
The family of Phil Dawn and councillors are campagining for a bridge over the level crossing near Kings Mill reservoir. Pictured are John Dawn, Coun Darren Langton and Phil's sister Tracy HartThe family of Phil Dawn and councillors are campagining for a bridge over the level crossing near Kings Mill reservoir. Pictured are John Dawn, Coun Darren Langton and Phil's sister Tracy Hart
The family of Phil Dawn and councillors are campagining for a bridge over the level crossing near Kings Mill reservoir. Pictured are John Dawn, Coun Darren Langton and Phil's sister Tracy Hart

Network Rail has unveiled plans for a bridge in place of the King’s Mill number one level crossing.

Phil Dawn, from Kirkby, was just 34 when he died on May 2, 2012, after being struck by a train while cycling over the crossing near King’s Mill Reservoir, on the Mansfield-Ashfield border.

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Since his death, his family have been campaigning for a bridge to be built over the crossing, to make it safer.

His family called on Network Rail to replace the crossing with a bridge and has worked with the company’s level crossings team and local authorities to develop plans for a pedestrian and bridleway bridge.

A 2014 Government report revealed Network Rail failed to act on two risk assessments carried out at the crossing before Mr Dawn’s death and had even accepted the need to replace the crossing with a bridge.

Tracy Hart, Mr Dawn’s sister, welcomed the news.

She said: “It is five years since Phil died needlessly died. Hopefully this is a step further to getting the bridge built.

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“We have campaigned to have a bridge built, a need highlighted in Network Rail’s own risk assessments, to prevent another tragedy.

“I don’t want anyone else to go what we went through.”

Stuart Humphreys, senior communications manager at Network Rail, said: “We are committed to improving level crossing safety and are investing more than £100 million across Britain to do this.

“We understand being able to cross the railway is important to residents.

“This is why our plans propose to divert the right of way, to ensure that people are still able to cross the railway, but can do so in a safer way.”

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Network Rail, which manages Britain’s railway infrastructure, plans to divert the existing bridleway over the railway to a new, ramped bridge which would be situated adjacent to the existing level crossing.