Skip to main content

Mersey Gateway Bridge project progress

Work is well in hand on the Mersey Gateway Bridge project in the UK. The bridge construction work has now reached a major milestone. The south pylon of the Mersey Gateway has been completed, marking the project’s highest point in the River Mersey estuary. The south pylon stands 125m high, with the north pylon due to be completed in the next few days. The smaller central pylon, which is due to be finished in November, will be 80m high. A specialist automatic climbing system is being used to construct the
October 6, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
The Mersey Gateway Bridge project in the UK has reached a major milestone in its construction
Work is well in hand on the 6126 Mersey Gateway Bridge project in the UK. The bridge construction work has now reached a major milestone. The south pylon of the Mersey Gateway has been completed, marking the project’s highest point in the River Mersey estuary. The south pylon stands 125m high, with the north pylon due to be completed in the next few days. The smaller central pylon, which is due to be finished in November, will be 80m high.

A specialist automatic climbing system is being used to construct the bridge pylons. This equipment builds one vertical 5m section at a time. It then repeatedly climbs upwards to create the next section until the structure is complete. Construction teams have completed 30 sections for the south pylon and 27 for the north pylon. In all, 21 sections will be built for the central pylon. A total of 2,230m3 of concrete was poured for the south pylon, and 1,890m3 for the north pylon.

Gareth Stuart, project director at Merseylink, said, “Hitting the highest point on the project is a significant milestone and it’s a testament to the tenacity and expertise of our construction crews who have worked extremely hard, often in challenging conditions, to get the job done. We’ll be holding a special site celebration to thank all of the teams involved.”

The next phase of work involves installing steel stay cables to connect the three bridge pylons to the main bridge deck. This will begin in the next couple of weeks. Halton’s six-lane river crossing is on schedule to open in autumn 2017.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • UK Business Secretary opens Control Centre at MIRA Technology Park
    November 14, 2012
    MIRA Technology Park in central England has reached the first milestone in its aim to become Europe’s most advanced independent transport technology facility - with the successful completion of its Control Centre. The 3,998m² building, representing a US$9.52 million (£6mn) investment and opened last week by the Rt Hon Dr Vince Cable, Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, is the first new building completed since the technology park was granted Enterprise Zone status in August 2011.
  • Swiss roundabout goes underground
    February 7, 2012
    The Swiss, well-known for their tunnel constructions, have enhanced their reputation with the recent Gotthard Tunnel breakthrough which has created the world's longest tunnel. And in Bern, a roundabout is being re-positioned almost 10m under the ground, which will transform a somewhat dismal road intersection into an attractive gateway to the country's capital. PERI provided a comprehensive formwork solution for the realisation of the massive beams, reinforced concrete slab along with the conically-sh
  • Bentley’s OpenBridge for Cebu-Cordova link
    February 7, 2024
    The OpenBridge software solution from Bentley Systems played a key role in the development of the Cebu-Cordova bridge project in the Philippines.
  • Barge-mounted Manitowoc MLC300 lists Illinois bridge into place
    June 28, 2018
    The reduced footprint and floating counterweight meant that it is much more efficient for contractors to barge-mount a crawler crane. The crane can be on smaller water-based barges because the machine automatically adjusts its centre of gravity for each lift. Kraemer North America recently used an MLC300 to help replace an 84-year-old truss bridge, the 756m Savanna-Sabula Bridge near Savanna, in the US state of Illinois. The Savanna–Sabula Bridge was a truss bridge and causeway crossing the Mississippi Ri