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.

(Picture: Lincolnshire County Council)