During a series of night closures between 16th March and 9th April 2016, the contractor will use a 1,000-tonne crane to lift the 52-metre long bridge beams into place.
The beams, which each weight 100 tonnes, which will act as foundations for the decks of two new bridges over the M1. Once the new beams have been installed, work can begin to construct decks for the new junction 11A interchange bridge and the new B579 Luton Road bridge.
The A5-M1 Link project is a new, 2.8-mile dual carriageway to improve the east-west connection between the A5 and M1, north of Dunstable. It is designed to help reduce congestion through Dunstable town centre. The project includes three new junctions including a new motorway junction, and six new bridges.
The scheme will also unlock up to 40 hectares of land for businesses and provide the infrastructure for 7,000 homes to be built to the north of Houghton Regis.
Construction milestones achieved so far on the A5-M1 link include starting work on the layout for the new M1 junction 11A, with new roundabouts and bridges, as well as the rebuilding of the B579 Luton Road East and West to align it with junction 11A. Work on the link road itself has progressed well too, with drainage, fencing and some of the foundations and surfacing completed so far. Work on the new A5 roundabout has also started.
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