Skip to main content

Balfour Beatty demolishes M8 bridge to create junction

A huge array of construction machinery from leading international equipment manufacturers was deployed by Balfour Beatty recently to demolish a farm access bridge over the M8 motorway between junctions 4 and 5 to enable the completion of slip roads for the new Heartlands junction in West Lothian, Scotland. The Cowhill Bridge demolition was a major milestone for Ecosse Regeneration in the construction of Junction 4a. Ten excavators equipped with hydraulic breakers and munching attachments were used to remove
August 8, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
A huge array of construction machinery from leading international equipment manufacturers was deployed by 1146 Balfour Beatty recently to demolish a farm access bridge over the M8 motorway between junctions 4 and 5 to enable the completion of slip roads for the new Heartlands junction in West Lothian, Scotland.

The Cowhill Bridge demolition was a major milestone for Ecosse Regeneration in the construction of Junction 4a. Ten excavators equipped with hydraulic breakers and munching attachments were used to remove the four-span composite construction bridge during a 10-hour night time closure of the M8. Materials removed during the demolition are being recycled.

A recently completed 50m long, single span bridge provides a new access to the farm and forms part of the new grade separated junction that will provide the main access route to Heartlands, a US$968.15 million (£650mn) business, retail, residential and leisure destination.

M8 Junction 4a is set to open in September 2013.

Click here to watch the Balfour Beatty demolition team in action.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Gubler gets down with a Kemroc EK 100 chain cutter
    May 1, 2018
    Boulders are usually removed from site by breaking them with a hammer and then using a backhoe to extract the rubble: a time-consuming process. Swiss construction company Gubler, however, used a Kemroc EK 100 chain cutter to cut down on processing time as well as wear and tear on company equipment. With an EK 100 chain cutter mounted on their 22tonne excavator, Gubler excavated the foundations, footings and service trenches in the typical local molasse rock. The project is a large residential complex and
  • UK Government’s green light for new Taunton road link
    May 22, 2013
    Work on a new link road will go ahead in Taunton, western England after receiving final approval from Local Transport Minister Norman Baker. The work is needed to improve east-west connections across Taunton and open up access to new development. The overall US$32.07 million (£22.1mn) scheme will see Somerset County Council construct a new road linking Staplegrove Road in the west of the town to Priory Avenue in the east. “This important scheme will help to reduce traffic demand through the town centre and
  • Busy UK interchange on M1 motorway close to completion
    August 28, 2018
    Work on a busy interchange on the UK motorway network is close to completion. The new off-slip has opened at junction 24 of the M1 motorway. The work to upgrade junction 24 and junction 24a is being carried out by contractor Winvic Construction. The new off-slip at junction 24 provides a direct connection from the A50 eastbound to the M1 southbound. The work forms part of SEGRO’s Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP) - SEGRO Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway (EMG) - a ground-breaking
  • Cost effective road maintenance
    February 7, 2012
    Highway maintenance and repair is an easy target for cuts in highway budgets, but there are cost-effective measures that can be adopted as Patrick Smith reports