Exciting milestone reached for Ash road bridge project
A significant milestone in the Ash road bridge project was reached over the early May Bank Holiday weekend, when nineteen 24 metre beams were lifted into place over the railway.
- The beams are 24 metres long, two weigh 45 tonnes and 17 weigh 27 tonnes
- They were lifted into place by a 750-tonne mobile crane
- Around 200 people attended the viewing sessions over the weekend to get a front row view of the action
- Good weather helped progress and all 19 beams were installed by 5pm on Saturday 4 May
On Sunday 5 May, visitors could see:
- the installation of permanent Glass Reinforced Plastic panels between the new pre-cast beam which support the new concrete deck
- demobilisation of the mobile crane
We had great feedback from some of the people who came along, including:
- "It was amazing to see the magnificent crane! I am grateful to you and also to all of the workers who clearly take pride in the work that they do. It was also lovely that some of them took the time to speak to us."
- "I just wanted to thank-you for the opportunity to visit your site today and see the progress on the Ash Road Bridge. Everyone we met was very helpful and willing to answer questions, even if they had probably been doing that all weekend! Special thanks go to your Project Manager.
Now that the beams are in place, the Volker Fitzpatrick team will be working on
- the bridge deck, parapets and retaining walls
- filling the void between the viewing platform and the bridge
Lead Councillor for Regeneration, Cllr Tom Hunt, said:
"We were delighted with the turnout for the viewing sessions at Ash Road Bridge over the Bank Holiday weekend. Around 200 people came along to get a front row view of the beams being installed over the railway. Everyone I spoke to was very interested in the project and pleased to hear that it's progressing well. We're hoping that the bridge will be open to traffic in November."
You'll find more information on the Ash Road Bridge project on our website.