A new bridge has been installed over the A30 as part of National Highways’ Chiverton to Carland Cross road dualling scheme in Cornwall.
The Tolgroggan access bridge has spanned the A30 near Zelah for 32 years and needed to be replaced to accommodate the new dual carriageway and the existing road between the Chiverton and Carland roundabouts.
To enable the bridge lift operation, overseen by principal contractors Costain and structures specialists Keltbray, the A30 was closed between the Boxheater junction and Chiverton Cross roundabout, with drivers using diversion routes along the A3075 and B3285.
Weather conditions and wind speeds remained suitable for the lifting operation and the new 137ft (42-metre) twin-beam overbridge was lifted into place by a 650-tonne crawler crane on Saturday afternoon (18 February).
And after Engineers undertook tying-in work on the bridge, dismantling and transporting of the crane and extensive site and traffic management clearance, the A30 was reopened to motorists at 2pm on Sunday – some 16 hours ahead of the anticipated opening.
The new bridge weighs 275 tonnes, the equivalent weight of 23 double decker buses or 887,097 standard Cornish pasties and will eventually span the existing A30 road and four lanes of the new carriageway.
Now in position, work will concentrate on construction of the new road, with the existing bridge to be demolished later this year.
Neil Winter, National Highways Senior Project Manager for the A30 Chiverton to Carland Cross upgrade, said:
“We thank people for their patience and co-operation while we carried out the work. The operation went as planned and although the weather wasn’t the greatest, conditions were favourable and the preparation work paid dividends.
“It’s a key milestone for the project, and now that we have the new bridge in place we will be able to switch our attention to the other structures along the route.
“As part of the scheme, we’re building 13 new structures in all, both under and over the new A30, with one existing underbridge at Two Burrows, a short distance from Tolgroggan, being refurbished.”
(Picture – National Highways)
