The new Grantham Southern Relief Road bridge over the River Witham and East Coast Main Line is now fully in place after months of work.
The operation to move the 2,500 tonne bridge into place started in March and required careful precision to ensure it stayed on the correct trajectory and was perfectly aligned.
Works to remove the final piece of the bridge’s launch nose will take place this week.
Cllr David East, executive member for highways at Lincolnshire County Council, said: “Getting this bridge across the River Witham and the East Coast Main Line has been an incredible engineering achievement, requiring careful planning, specialist expertise and a huge amount of teamwork.
“Removing the temporary launch nose is an important milestone because it shows we’ve reached the end of the launch operation – a huge milestone for the project!
“The launch nose has played a vital role in helping us move the bridge safely and accurately into position, and it’s great to see the project moving into its next stage.”
The 49-metre steel launch nose has played a crucial role in moving the bridge safely across the gap between its supporting piers. The nose helped control how much the structure flexed as it was pushed forward, while its strengthened design helped keep the bridge aligned throughout the operation.
The launch nose weighs around 130 tonnes in total and is being dismantled in sections using a 500-tonne-capacity mobile crane. The work is being carried out by a team of ten people, who unbolt each section before it is lifted to the ground. All of the steel will be recycled.
What happens next?
Now that the new bridge is in place over River Witham and East Coast Main Line, the team will work on permanently connecting the new structure to its piers. These connections will secure the bridge to its permanent supports, allowing work to progress on completing the structure and preparing it to carry the new road.
The focus will then be on building the rest of the bridge on the east side of site. This will include lifting new steel beams for the bridge into place before concreting the decks, installing the safety barriers, laying road surfacing and carrying out major embankment works on the western lead-up to the bridge.
Cllr East added: “There is still a lot of work to do before the relief road is opened, but each milestone brings us closer to delivering a new route that will help reduce congestion, improve journey reliability and support Grantham’s future growth.
"Getting to this point has required an enormous amount of planning, engineering expertise and teamwork. Moving a 2,500-tonne bridge across one of the country's busiest railway lines while keeping it perfectly aligned is an incredible achievement.
"While the engineering is hugely impressive, what matters most is what this road will deliver for local people. Once open, it will reduce congestion, improve journey reliability, support new homes and businesses, and help create a better-connected Grantham for decades to come."
The bridge is a key part of the 3.5km Grantham Southern Relief Road, which will provide a new route around the town, helping ease congestion and delays, improve access to new homes and businesses, and reduce traffic passing through the town centre.
The scheme will also support economic growth by unlocking land for future development, improve access around the town and help create a safer, more attractive environment by reducing traffic through the town centre. Fewer vehicles travelling through central Grantham will also contribute to lower noise levels and reduced vehicle emissions.
For the latest updates on the Grantham Southern Relief Road, visit www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/gsrr.