Balfour Beatty is the main contractor for Ecosse Regeneration. The supply and lift of the beams was subcontracted to Rowecord.
The lifts were completed over two weekend night time motorway closures, despite being hampered by severe weather conditions during the first weekend.
The 50m-long, single-span bridge forms part of a new grade separated junction that will provide the main access route to Heartlands, a £650m business, retail, residential and leisure destination. Funded by The Royal Bank of Scotland, this will be the first entirely privately funded motorway junction in Scotland.
The project team used a 600t Liebherr crawler crane, on hire from Ainscough, with 250t of superlift ballast to lift the three pairs of beams into place out to a radius of 40m. The bridge incorporates precast copes with a permanent falsework soffit to reduce the need for temporary works support during deck construction. The six steel plate girder beams are manufactured from weathered steel to reduce maintenance requirements.
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