The north approach viaduct (NAV2 and NAV3) sections arrived at the construction site on Lake Lothing today (29th March 2023) following an eight-hour crossing on a barge from Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
Civil engineering contractor Farrans is constructing the £150m bridge for Suffolk County Council.
The steelwork is being fabricated by Victor Buyck Steel Construction in Belgium. The first north approach viaduct section (NAV1) was delivered just over a year ago and finally moved into position in October.
NAV2 is approximately 42 metres long and NAV3 is 50 metres long. On delivery the steel on NAV2 weighed 221 tonnes and NAV3 weighed 182 tonnes. NAV1 was significantly larger, weighing in at 380 tonnes.
In the coming days the sections will be lifted from the barge and positioned on to the pier so that they can be joined together. This will be done by bolting the splices before lining and levelling the sections into the correct position. Following this, the concrete decks will be cast before the street furniture and surfacing are placed.
Farrans project director Neil Rogers said: “The arrival of NAV 2 and 3 marks another major milestone in the progress of this important infrastructure project for Suffolk County Council. Moving large steel structures such as these take months of planning, and we are pleased that they have arrived safely to their permanent home.
“This week we have also had the arrival of the crane that we will use to lift these sections of the bridge. The crane for NAV2 and 3 is a Liebherr LR 1600. This is a 600-tonne capacity crane that is a little over twice the capacity of the crane currently working on the control tower (250-tonne). It uses a super-lift system which means that it has a much greater lifting capacity at the same radius.”
The Liebherr crane was delivered on 18 articulated lorries and took three days to assemble.
Suffolk County Council project director Simon Bretherton said: “This is another major step forward for the Gull Wing project and we continue to make good progress with construction. The arrival and installation of these two sections over the coming weeks are further signs of the bridge taking shape and which, once complete, will deliver a structure that will not only be iconic but also a positive and long-lasting legacy for jobs, businesses and connectivity for the town of Lowestoft and the wider area.”
Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk
.gif)
