Eric Wright Civil Engineering (EWCE) lifted out the old railway bridge on the Fallowfield Loop walking and cycleway spanning the A57 in Gorton early Saturday evening (7th March). The A57 was closed for the whole day on Saturday to enable EWCE to work through the day and night to complete the works on this major route into Manchester.
The works form a part of the EWCE contract for Manchester City Council’s £5.9m project to reduce traffic congestion on the A57 Hyde Road where the bridge and its abutments form a pinch point reducing four lanes of traffic to two, on this very busy road.,
Project Manager Greg Brett, said
“The bridge lift had been postponed twice in February due to high winds and it was becoming imperative for the progress of the works to remove the structure. We were constantly monitoring the wind to ensure that the lift could be carried out safely.
“The bridge weighed 60 tonnes and we used a Liebherr LTM 1500-8-1 mobile crane which is a big beast and it required considerable works to prepare the area to accommodate the crane.
“We now look forward to lifting the replacement new bridge into place during the summer.”
