A new bridge will be built in Coventry over the course of a weekend to provide access to a huge new Coventry industrial and warehousing development.
The 75-metre bridge is set to be installed across the A45 at the junction with the A46 to the north of Coventry Airport on Saturday March 7 and Sunday March 8.
The installation will require the temporary closure of the A45 in both directions, between the Stivichall Interchange and Tollbar End Island, from 8pm on Friday March 6 until 5am on Monday March 9.
READ MORE: {}
Its construction is part of a multi-million pound infrastructure investment.
The bridge is part of the Coventry and Warwickshire Gateway strategy – an initiative to stimulate economic growth and help create thousands of jobs.
The new bridge is being funded by SEGRO, a company which owns and develops warehouse and logistics space.
It will provide an additional access point for the existing Whitley Business Park and the forthcoming Whitley South and Gateway South employment areas.
The aim is to ease congestion on both the A45 and A46.
Most Read
An artist’s impression has been released which shows how the new bridge will look.
The installation, which is being undertaken by Buckingham Group, represents what has been described as “a major piece of engineering” in a remarkably short time frame.
The main bridge deck has been assembled on land adjacent to where the bridge will be located.
Over Saturday March 7 and Sunday March 8 the tower will be installed before the assembled bridge deck is manoeuvred into place.
Dimensions
The bridge deck weighs 1,300 tonnes and has already been constructed on-site where it is sitting on jacks.
The 120-tonne 36-metre high tower is made up of three pieces which are being welded on-site. When installed it will be angled at 15 degrees to the vertical
Abutments have already been constructed either side of A46.
Don’t miss
The bridge will carry a new three-lane carriageway over the A45.
It will be 75m long and 17m wide with a combined footpath/cycleway.
Logistics
The bridge deck will be moved by self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs) and lowered on to the abutments.
The SPMTs can move at 1,500m per hour - and two units with 132 pairs of wheels in total are being used to spread the load.
Andrew Pilsworth, business unit director, national logistics, SEGRO said: “This is a major piece of engineering.
“We have done as much as we can to keep disruption to a minimum, but the A45 will need to be closed for a weekend for the final part of the installation, which is moving the bridge into place.
“We apologise in advance for any short-term inconvenience caused, but we hope people understand that the long-term benefits will be worth it.”
Site purchase
Earlier this month SEGRO completed the purchase of a 450-acre site on the south east side of Coventry Airport, which will be known as SEGRO Park Coventry Gateway.
Planning consent has already been secured to develop 3.7m sq ft of industrial and warehouse buildings with a gross development value in excess of £400m.
The development, which will be completed in early 2023, will include investment to remediate the former sewage works and post-war landfill site, build new drainage infrastructure and create a 230-acre community park.
Coventry and Warwickshire Gateway Project
Speaking about the Coventry and Warwickshire Gateway project Mr Pilsworth said: “The Coventry and Warwickshire Gateway area has a great long-term future ahead.
“The new employment space adds to a region which has a well-established history in manufacturing and engineering, and which is already home to Jaguar Land Rover and the 海角视频 Battery Industrialisation Centre.
“Gateway South will provide a further 3.7m sq ft of space as a major industrial and logistics hub to further enable new opportunities and investment for the region. It really is fantastic news for jobs and the regional economy.
“As part of the wider development, improvements to the road infrastructure are required to provide the extra capacity and connectivity for the growth of activity that will take place in the future, which is why we are investing in the new bridge.”
Want more business news straight to your inbox?
BusinessLive is your home for business news from around the country - and you can stay in touch with all the latest news through our email alerts.
You can sign up to receive morning news bulletins from every region we cover and to weekly email bulletins covering key economic sectors from manufacturing to technology and enterprise. And we'll send out breaking news alerts for any stories we think you can't miss.
Visit our email preference centre to sign up to all the latest news from BusinessLive.
Traffic diversions will be in place utilising the A444, A4082 and B4110 during the work, and Highways England is advising drivers to avoid the area if possible or allow extra time for their journeys.
Following the initial installation, the A45 will also be subject to night time closures between Monday March 9 to Monday March 16 to install the remaining cables from the tower to the bridge deck.