The job was lifting in a new bridge over the M49 at Avonmouth. It is part of a £49m Highways England project to construct a new elevated junction for the Avonmouth and Severnside Enterprise Area.
The weekend closure 21-24 June 2019 was for lifting bridge beams and decking into place immediately next to the existing bridge at Farm Lane.
A 500-tonne telescopic crane supplied by Ainscough Crane Hire’s James Jack division lifted the three bridge beams into place. Two 55-tonne cranes then set about installing the decking. With work completed well ahead of schedule, the M49 reopened to traffic around mid-morning on Sunday 23rd June instead of Monday morning, as contingency planning had allowed for.
Nick Aldworth, Highways England’s southwest regional delivery director, said: “It’s pleasing to reach this stage of the project, and I’m delighted that we were able to complete such a complex operation ahead of schedule. In terms of partnership working, our project team and contractors Galliford Try worked hard to make the operation a success and that ultimately minimised the disruption for motorists using the M49.”
Construction of the new M49 junction is due to be completed by the end of 2019.
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