Balfour Beatty demolishes Scottish M8 bridge to create junction

Balfour Beatty has demolished 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 demolition of Cowhill Bridge is a major milestone for Ecosse Regeneration in the construction of Junction 4a. Using ten excavators equipped with hydraulic breakers and munching attachments, the four span composite construction bridge was successfully removed during a recent 10-hour night time closure of the M8.
July 11, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
1146 Balfour Beatty has demolished 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 demolition of Cowhill Bridge is a major milestone for Ecosse Regeneration in the construction of Junction 4a. Using ten excavators equipped with hydraulic breakers and munching attachments, the four span composite construction bridge was successfully removed during a recent 10-hour night time closure of the M8. Materials removed during the demolition are being recycled, including the concrete which will be crushed and reused in the construction of the roads.

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, providing around 4,000 new jobs. Funded by 6192 The Royal Bank of Scotland, this will be the first entirely privately funded motorway junction in Scotland.

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

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Balfour Beatty wins Scottish transport contract
    August 26, 2016
    Balfour Beatty has won a £35 million deal by Perth and Kinross Council to deliver the first phase of the Perth Transport Futures Project. Under the terms of the deal, Balfour Beatty will construct a new grade separated junction on the A9 dual carriageway as well as a new link road enabling access to development land to the west of Perth. This is the first of four phases of the Perth Transport Futures project, which aims to reduce congestion, boost transportation in the area and develop the local economy.
    Read More
  • Controlled demolition development
    January 25, 2017
    The development of reliable hydraulic attachments has brought a revolution in demolition technology. The hydraulic breaker, pioneered by the Krupp and Montabert brands, has firmly taken hold with a huge range of manufacturers now offering machines. Hydraulic attachment specialists such as Atlas Copco, Indeco and Sandvik (with its Rammer brand) now offer a range of tools that can deliver high efficiency and safety in demolition work. Meanwhile, developments with smaller tools offer productive methods for rep
    Read More
  • Using breakers to demolish redundant overpass
    December 11, 2015
    A demolition job in California was carried out successfully using a hydraulic breaker fitted to an excavator. An overpass on Highway 91 in Southern California had to be removed, with the contractor opting to use a hydraulic breaker for the job. The work was carried out within the 22-hour possession period set by the local authorities, allowing the route to reopen to traffic on time and minimising transport delays. The work was carried out safely and precisely, due to the use of suitable equipment. The re
    Read More
  • Balfour Beatty lifts bridge into place over UK’s M54
    May 14, 2014
    In the UK, Balfour Beatty has lifted a new bridge into place over the M54 motorway as part of a €14.56 million (£12 million) project to connect a new high-tech business park to the road network and to provide access for the new Jaguar Land Rover plant. The bridge, which will serve the i54 business park in South Staffordshire, was delivered for Staffordshire County Council, Wolverhampton City Council and South Staffordshire Council, as part of the Midlands Highways Alliance framework.
    Read More

Highlighted Content