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Dutch heavy lifting specialist Mammoet has installed a pair of 1,000-tonne bridges as part of a new improved Bar Hill junction.
The A14 was closed at 9pm on Friday 14th September and was not scheduled to reopen until 6am Monday. However, smooth progress meant that Highways England was able to reopen it at noon on Sunday.
The bridges were pre-constructed at the side of the live carriageway and four abutments were built, ready to support the bridges.
Mammoet used a self-propelled modular transporter (SPMT) to move the decks into place. Each deck was 44 metres long and weighed 1,000 tonnes.
Highways England construction director Julian Lamb said: “I’m delighted we were able to re-open the A14 ahead of schedule. The work has been long in the planning and I’m pleased to say went ahead smoothly.”
The new bridges are part of the £1.5bn A14 improvement scheme being delivered on behalf of Highways England by a joint-venture of Balfour Beatty, Skanska and Costain.
The contractors are upgrading a 21-mile stretch of the A14 between Cambridge and Huntingdon to three lanes in each direction including a new 17-mile bypass south of Huntingdon, with four lanes in each direction between Bar Hill and Girton. The project includes 34 bridges and main structures, including the 750-metre long River Great Ouse viaduct.
The new Bar Hill junction will connect the A14 to the future local access road between Cambridge and Huntingdon, as well as to the existing local road between Bar Hill and Longstanton (B1050). The old bridge will be demolished in 2019.
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