Leicestershire County Council has appointed Eric Wright Civil Engineering to build a £19.5m new bridge over the Soar in Zouch.
The deteriorating state of the existing bridge means it needs to be replaced on safety grounds as there is currently an 18-tonne weight restriction in place which prevents its use by HGVs.
Work involves the new bridge being built parallel to the existing bridge and then manoeuvred into place on a re-aligned section of the A6006. The existing structure will remain open while the new bridge is built to limit the disruption to motorists and other road users.
Councillor Ozzy O’Shea, Leicestershire County Council cabinet member for highways and transport, said: “The A6006 is a key east/west route across the county which provides a vital function, not least for business links to East Midlands Airport and Freeport developments. We’ve spent thousands of pounds on reactive repairs over the years and that’s not sustainable given the condition of the bridge. We’re working closely with our contractors to ensure that people are kept well informed about the progress of the project and to minimise any disruption to road users.”
The work has been programmed to restrict road closures to the time periods when main beams are delivered, the re-alignment of the new carriageway to join onto the existing line of the A6006 leading to the new bridge, known as the ‘tie-ins’, takes place, and when diverting essential utilities.
The bridge components will be assembled on land adjacent to the river and, due to the presence of overhead high-voltage cables ruling out the use of cranes, will then be guided into place using a jacking system. The old bridge will then be demolished. with the work currently scheduled to be completed by early 2027.
The initial phase of work involves building cofferdams on both sides of the river for the bridge piers. Work will then be suspended until next spring to eliminate the risks of working in a flood plain during the winter months, and to meet Environment Agency ‘in-river’ working restrictions intended to protect spawning sites.
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