The four bridge sections were manufactured by Severfield in Bolton and they were transported by road 40 miles to Halifax by heavy transport specialist Collett.
With each measuring 48 metres long and weighing 56 tonnes, these were the largest pieces of steelwork to ever leave Severfield’s Bolton facility.
Over a two week period, each of the 56-tonne bridge sections was loaded on site at the Severfield factory on to two Faymonville eight-axle jeep dolly bogie trailers, the latest additions to Collett’s trailer fleet. These dolly combinations have automatic steering, allowing the back axles to follow the tractor unit autonomously. The trailers also have the option of overriding this feature to provide manual steering and rear steer capabilities – this then allows the rear bogey to steer independently of the tractor unit. This project was the first deployment for these trailers.
The steel will form the integral part of the A629 Salterhebble Bridge project in Halifax, under construction by John Sisk & Son under a £27m contract.
The beams arrived on site in mid-January and have since been craned in to position by Sarens.
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Calderdale Council’s cabinet member for regeneration and strategy, Cllr Jane Scullion, said: “The bridge lift marks a major milestone in the progress of phase 1b of the A629 improvement project and I’d like to congratulate those involved in successfully completing the beam lift works. An engineering project of this scale requires an incredible amount of planning, not only to lift the extremely large and heavy beams, but also to manage the logistics of transporting them to the site.
“Now the bridge structure is in place, we can see how the project will transform the landscape around the Calder and Hebble junction. As we reach the final year of the project, we’ll continue to see major changes which will ultimately create benefits for all transport users in the area and complement wider work around the borough, investment in our towns and our priority to create thriving places.”
Sisk managing director Dominic Hodges said: “This is an important and exciting milestone for the project. Our team has worked very hard with Calderdale Council, our supply chain and numerous stakeholders to plan the logistics for this large-scale operation. It’s fantastic that all the hard work is now paying off.”
The bridge project, funded by the West Yorkshire Combined Authority, through the West Yorkshire-Plus Transport Fund, is expected to be completed later this year.
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