Network Rail is to upgrade three level crossings in Woodbridge over the next month, which will disrupt rail services most Sundays until the beginning of April.

They are upgrading the Haywards Crossing (on Tide Mill Way), Ferry Lane crossing and Jetty Avenue crossing (on Jetty Lane).

Haywards and Ferry Lane level crossings will be upgraded to full barriers which cover both sides of the road and prevent vehicles from weaving around them, making the crossing safer.

Miniature stop lights will be installed at Jetty Avenue, which give the green light when it is safe to cross. Vehicles and pedestrians must stop when the red light shows. This crossing has gates for both pedestrians and vehicles.

All three level crossings will get newer signalling equipment which helps signallers understand where trains are in relation to the level crossings. This means that the level crossing alarms at the Haywards and Ferry Lane road crossings can be safely reduced from around 70 seconds long to approximately 20 seconds long for each train passage, to reduce the noise experienced by nearby residents.

The work is essential to keep the level crossings functioning safely and reliably. The safety improvements are also vital in this area where there has been significant amount of residential development over recent years. The new equipment will be better able to cope with this higher demand.

The work will begin this weekend and continue every weekend from Saturday evening to Monday morning until Monday 29 March. Access will be maintained during this time, but there may be longer waiting times at the crossings.

Weekend rail services will also be affected and passengers are advised to check before they travel as rail replacement services will run on weekends from Sunday 28 February to Sunday 28 March.

Ellie Burrows, Network Rail’s route director for Anglia, said: “This work is essential not only for keeping everything running reliably but to improve safety for the increasing number of people who use the crossings. I’d like to thank everyone for their patience while we carry out this important work.”

Since September, signalling equipment and cabling, axle counters (which detect trains on the track) and a new crossing decks (the surface that cars cross over) at Ferry Lane and Haywards have been installed.