Skip to main content

Bridge replacement assembled overnight

Highways service provider Balfour Beatty Mott MacDonald has completed a major milestone in a project to replace a bridge for use by the local community over the M5 motorway near the city of Bristol, south-west England.
February 21, 2012 Read time: 1 min
The new bridge is lifted into position over the M5 Motorway
Highways service provider 1530 Balfour Beatty Mott MacDonald has completed a major milestone in a project to replace a bridge for use by the local community over the M5 motorway near the city of Bristol, south-west England.
The operation was carried out overnight to minimise disruption to the travelling public.
Working on behalf of the 1441 UK Highways Agency, Balfour Beatty Mott MacDonald carried out the £1.6 million (€e1.9 million) project to replace the bridge at Lawrence Weston after the previous concrete structure had become weakened from vehicle strikes over many years.
The replacement structure is a low maintenance, single span steel bridge suitable for pedestrians and cyclists, forming a crucial link in a south-west cycle route and providing access for non-motorised users from the city to reach the countryside.
Weighing 92 tonnes and with a span of 66m, the new structure was manufactured in three sections before being transported to site where it was assembled and lifted into place during the overnight closure of the motorway.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Strategic road plan announced in the UK
    May 23, 2023
    A statement from National Highways in the UK said the emphasis is on boosting the economy “in an environmentally sustainable way” up to 2030 and beyond.
  • New design consultant partnership
    July 7, 2017
    A new strategic design consultant partnership is now being formed between infrastructure group Balfour Beatty, Atkins, Mott MacDonald and WSP. The collaborative UK Strategic Design Consultant Partnership is said to offer a new level of openness, collaboration and innovation for the construction industry.
  • Gloucester lift bridge is opened
    July 12, 2012
    The newly-opened High Orchard Bridge in Gloucester, south-west England, links the city's inner relief road to the new south-west bypass and provides access to the massive Gloucester Quays €293.5 million redevelopment scheme. The lift bridge structure was designed and constructed under a joint venture involving English Partnerships, British Waterways and developer Peel Holdings. The €11.74 million structure is a contemporary single-span bridge, with an efficient electro-hydraulic movable, 300tonne lifting d
  • Busy UK motorway junction demolished in tight time frame – Mark Anthony reports
    October 18, 2012
    Military-style planning and overwhelming demolition firepower ensured that Armac Group avoided financial penalties and the wrath of drivers on one of the UK’s busiest motorway intersections. Demolition & Dismantling reports. 6 January is traditionally known for the visit of the three wise men to Bethlehem. However, on 6 January 2012, three wise demolition engineers from Armac Group was tasked with dismantling the monumental structure known as Catthorpe Viaduct: the main overbridge of the M6/M1/A14 interc