Osprey Heavy Lift has installed a 1,200-tonne bridge deck over the M1 motorway in the UK on behalf of Buckingham Group Contracting and Cleveland Bridge.
Measuring 17 m wide and 50 m long, the bridge forms part of the 700-acre (283 ha) Segro Logistics Park East Midlands Gateway.
After almost a year of planning, the Osprey team utilised SPMTs and various trailer configurations to install the bridge.
For the installation, Osprey fitted the trailers with support structures to reach the required height of the bridge. The bridge was designed with additional tail units, which allowed a secondary set of 24 axles to support the east end of the deck and land it on to the bearing plates, said Osprey.
According to Osprey, the deck was landed into the bearing plates six hours ahead of schedule.
In the weeks leading up to the launch of the bridge, alterations were made to the M1, including filling in the central reservation and removing street furniture to enable a clear path for the bridge to be driven over the motorway by the SPMTs.
