Huge concrete components which will form a new £20m railway bridge and roundabout in Stockport are now travelling over the Irish sea ready for the project’s main construction phase in just 4 days’ time.
Network Rail and engineers from its contractor Murphy are gearing up for a meticulously planned three-week window during which Greek Street bridge is dismantled and rebuilt from this Saturday (2 August).
It will see a rare railway closure of a 50-mile stretch of the West Coast Main Line for 21 days until the morning of Saturday 23 August while the large-scale civil engineering project takes place.
Rail passengers planning journeys across Staffordshire, Cheshire and Greater Manchester are being reminded to check www.nationalrail.co.uk with diversions and rail replacement buses in operation throughout the essential upgrade*.
Ahead of the significant railway closure, behind the scenes footage has been released today showing how the components for the bridge have been made and tested over recent months at a huge manufacturing site in Ireland.
Drone footage of a specially sequenced trial assembly was filmed as part of dress rehearsals to make sure installation in Stockport goes smoothly.
With all the trial assemblies complete, the bridge components are now being transported on the back of 40 lorries and low-loaders, travelling by ferry from Dublin to Liverpool and then by road to Greater Manchester.
Some of the bridge sections are being stored near Trafford Park, while others will arrive straight to site in special convoys ready to be immediately craned into position.
Once the new railway bridge is in, and the West Coast Main Line reopens, work will then move to the reconstruction of Greek Street roundabout and relaying of surrounding roads.
