Engineers lifted a new 50 tonne road bridge into place over the Bury Metrolink line on Wednesday as part of a £100 million project to improve the network.

Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Executive (GMPTE) replaced the bridge, on Withins Lane in Radcliffe, during this summer’s work to upgrade nearly 20 miles of track on the Bury and Altrincham lines.

The Metrolink bridge which goes over the M60 at Besses o’ th’ Barn has also been renovated, and the platform surfaces have been upgraded to make it easier to get on and off the trams.

Paul Griffiths, GMPTE’s Projects Director, said: “I’m pleased we’ve been able to replace the Withins Lane bridge while the Bury and Altrincham lines have been closed. The work to upgrade the Metrolink network is running to schedule and the Bury line is due to reopen in mid September.

“This is just the start of a multi-million pound investment in Metrolink. We have ordered eight new trams to tackle overcrowding, and we will be upgrading the ticket machines in the near future.”

The Bury Metrolink line is currently closed between Bury and Manchester Victoria, and the Altrincham line is closed between Altrincham and Cornbrook. The Bury line is due to reopen on Thursday 13 September and the Altrincham line is due to reopen on Tuesday 28 August.

Liberal Democrat Councillor and Greater Manchester Passenger Transport Authority spokesperson Cllr Andrew Garner said “This is great news for Metrolink users and I am looking forward to travelling on the new line when it re-opens next month”