New rail bridge hailed Motherwell ‘legacy’ after marking major …
The 5000-tonne bridge and support structures made history[1] after being one of the largest concrete bridge lifts in Europe. The move marks the regeneration of the former steelworks site at Ravenscraig and was delivered through a GBP16.9 million agreement between North Lanarkshire Council[2] and Network Rail. The bridge is being celebrated (Image: Sourced)
The road is part of the council’s GBP127.2 million Ravenscraig Access Infrastructure (RAI) project (Image: Sourced) It will allow a new dual carriageway to be constructed under the railway line (West Coast main line), with pedestrian and cycle paths to be built between Motherwell and Ravenscraig. The move happened earlier this month as Network Rail and Story Contracting used remote-controlled transporters as part of the ambitious project.
Mark Wilson lives in the area and worked on the bridge (Image: Sourced)
The bridge transformed the empty field area (Image: Sourced) Mark Wilson, project manager for Network Rail, told the Glasgow Times: “I live in the local area so I will be using this bridge regularly myself, it is a total legacy for the Motherwell area.
“In 20 years I can drive through and tell my grandkids I was part of it and put it in, it really is something to be proud of. “This is the biggest concrete bridge to be lifted in by that mode of transport in Europe, that’s a huge achievement. “It feels excellent to see it all done, we are so relieved it all went to plan.
“Seeing all the hard work come together made me feel really proud, the team has all worked so well.” Sourced (Image: Sourced)
The bridge has been worked on since last May (Image: Sourced)
Plans for the new road will now move forward with advance roadworks carried out during the summer, a contractor to be appointed in the autumn, and construction starting on site in early 2024. The road is part of the council’s GBP127.2m Ravenscraig Access Infrastructure (RAI) project, supported by GBP61.9m of funding from the UK and Scottish governments through the Glasgow City Region City Deal. The RAI project will improve connections north to the M8 and south to Motherwell and the M74.
The rail bridge has been hailed as a legacy (Image: Sourced) “Our ambitious plans for Ravenscraig, one of Europe’s largest brownfield regeneration sites, will transform the area and bring significant investment and jobs to the North Lanarkshire economy,” said councillor Paul Kelly, depute leader of North Lanarkshire Council. “The rail bridge was a key element in the Ravenscraig Access Infrastructure project and enables us now to construct the road and active travel links which will connect Motherwell and Ravenscraig and improve the wider road network both north and south.”
The team are celebrating their hard work paying off (Image: Sourced)
Jeremy Spence, Network Rail programme manager, said: “I want to congratulate all involved in the delivery of this major milestone.
Reaching this critical phase in the programme took many months of meticulous planning[3] and preparatory work, followed by a huge undertaking in constructing the actual bridge.”