HUGE bridge support beams were successfully installed on the A31 at Ringwood this week with just three more months of work left.
Residents congregated on the West Street bridge over the River Avon on Tuesday and Wednesday (August 9 and 10) to watch 45-metre beams carefully lifted in place of the former two bridges that carried the westbound A31.
The new span will replace the original 1930s built bridge – which had to be replaced in order to support the planned three lane carriageway.
Video courtesy of National Highways
Due to the complexity and risk attached the procedures, the A31 was closed over both nights from the M27 junction to the A338 Ashley Heath roundabout.
Daniel Kitteridge, A31 project manager for National Highways, said: “The beam installation for the new River Avon bridge was completed successfully over two nights this week, with both large cranes demobilising and leaving site in the early hours of Thursday morning.
“All went very smoothly and was completed as expected.
“There were approximately 15 operatives on site, including construction managers, site engineers and crane operators, to ensure the beam lift was completed safely and successfully as planned.”
With more beams required, further overnight closures will take place on Tuesday, August 16, and Wednesday, 17. There will be diversions in place via the A336, A326, A35, A3060 and A338.
At the same time, crews will also be installing the new beams for the nearby Bickerley Millstream which is also being replaced as part of the improvement scheme.
Here there will be two smaller cranes on site to undertake this installation. Once these are in place, the rebuilding of both millstream and A31 bridges will begin.
Once finished, the £30million scheme will add a third lane in the westbound direction providing additional capacity. Traffic joining from the Ringwood junction onto the A31 will do so via a new lane, rather than trying than merge with traffic already on the road.
The old slip roads off the B3347 Mansfield Road and West Street onto the A31 westbound had long been regarded as dangerous by motorists and residents.
The project is still on course to be fully completed by the end of November.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel