Tom BurgessNorth East and Cumbria
The railway bridge was demolished over one weekend
A concrete railway bridge over a motorway has been demolished and the road has reopened.
The M6 between junctions 39 at Shap and 40 near Penrith was closed over the weekend as part of West Coast Main Line works, which have also seen disruption to train services.
The 130m-long (427ft) bridge has been removed and a new 4,200-tonne steel and concrete structure will be moved into place during a further 57-hour motorway closure this coming weekend.
Christian Irwin, Network Rail North West and Central director, said it had been a “mammoth task” to demolish the bridge.
Irwin said: “This £60m project forms part of our major investment programme to improve journeys on the West Coast Main Line for passengers and freight for generations to come.”
The M6 will be open to motorists this week before it closes at 20:00 GMT on 9 January until 05:00 on 12 January.
Network Rail
The demolition was completed safely, Skanska UK said
Rosario Barcena, Skanska UK rail programme director, said the team had completed all of the work safely and the foundations had been laid for the new bridge.
He said: “It’s been an incredible effort by the entire team to complete the demolition of the former Clifton Bridge, working 24/7 across the weekend to make sure that the M6 motorway could reopen on Monday morning.
“Technically it was a complex operation which we managed with great precision and care.”
Barcena thanked drivers in the region for their patience while the road was closed.
