Six steel girders were lifted into place in pairs for Duckwood Bridge, using a 1,000-tonne class mobile crane supplied to main contractor John Graham Construction by Baldwins.
The operation entailed bolting together smaller beams mid-air before lifting the completed beams onto the structure.聽
This is the largest beam lift for the project, requiring the biggest capacity crane, as Duckwood Bridge is 56 metres long and 16 metres wide.聽 The finished beams, weighing 113 tonnes, were then craned onto the concrete abutments.
With the last beams installed, the team is working towards completing the remaining structural concrete works by autumn 2024, ahead of scheme completion next year.
When completed, Duckwood Bridge will carry the new A12 anti-clockwise loop road, over the Weald Brook watercourse.聽
National Highways project manager Zach Pepper, said: 鈥淐ompleting the final beam lift for the structures in the scheme is a significant milestone and a testament to the hard work of everyone on-site. This was completed all without the need for a full road closure, limiting the impact on the local community.鈥�
Graham project manager Hugh McNally, said it was 鈥渁 complex process which brought its challenges, including water management in accordance with FRAP, as the bridge spans above Weald Brook and the presence of an existing BPA fuel line running between both abutments required extensive temporary works, including excavation to protection wrap the pipeline before constructing a concrete slab above to facilitate plant movements during construction鈥�.
聽He added: 鈥淭he delivery of the steel girders required extensive planning with our suppliers, including coordination between seven different police forces to manage the abnormal load transportation.
鈥淭he team is now focused on completing the remaining structural concrete works, moving the project towards completion in summer 2025.鈥�
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