Before and After Bedser Bridge

A representative of the Basingtoke Canal Society kindly let me know at the end of last week that the new Bedser Bridge was to be lifted into place on Monday.  She had received notification that the canal was to be closed for the day to enable to bridge to be laid across the canal.

Walking to catch the train to work this morning I realised it was probably the last time I would see the canal without a bridge across it so I quickly snapped this shot of the clear canal.

I then saw during the day that the new bridge had been successfully lifted in to place.  I tried to photograph the bridge in place but it was a little too dark by the time I was coming home from work.  Hope Woking Council don't mind me using this picture of the new bridge in place.  I'll try and get one of the same shot later today.

The new bridge may be in place but it is far from open.  There still seems to be a fair bit of work to do on the Horsell side.  We were told the new bridge would be open in "early 2013" but my investigations late last year revealed it could be as late as April (a year after it closed) that we get the bridge back.

UPDATE
Managed to get the same picture as on Monday.  As I reviewed the shot I thought how well the new bridge fits into its environment.  Such a relief that people power won out and we didn't get the concrete monstrosity that was originally planned to go over the canal.