Sunday 24th February will mark another milestone in the construction of Phase Two of
Nottingham Express Transit as a bridge is put into place over the railway line at Lenton using state of the art techniques. The steel Lenton Lane Bridge will be driven into position across the railway using four 40 wheel vehicles called Self Propelled Modular Transporters (SPMTs).
The bridge has been constructed over the past four months in a site compound at Lenton Lane Industrial Estate and has now been completed and is ready to be put in place – this weekend has been chosen as there is already scheduled engineering work between Nottingham and Derby on the national rail network so it will cause as little disruption as possible. The structure is 46 metres long and weighs 640 tonnes and will be the second of five impressive structures to be installed by Taylor Woodrow Alstom.
The bridge will be driven across the railway and lifted onto concrete supports either side of the tracks using the state of the art SPMTs. Any member of the public who wishes to see the installation of the bridge can do so on the road bridge on Lenton Lane where a special viewing area will be cordoned off.
Martin Carroll, NET Phase Two Director for Taylor Woodrow Alstom, said: “With this work, the Structures team will meet another key milestone. Only two weeks ago the team handled the Station Bridge launch and are now using another technically challenging technique to position this bridge. They will work in three shifts over the possession of the railway line, which has been meticulously planned to be carried out in 15 minute increments, to ensure we hand back the track before the rail possession ends.”
I went to see the bridge being positioned today. Fantastic precision by the staff doing the work, and some superb equipment on display . All appeared well when I left at lunchtime. The viewing was from the existing Lenton Lane bridge which is immediately next to the new structure, and gives perfect views of the workings. The other bridges at the River Leen and Clifton Boulevard should be worth viewing when ready, work already underway on the foundations.
How often do we hear of the people doing this kind of work providing a viewing area for interested members of the public? An excellent public relations exercise, and an excellent job as well by the sound of it.