New Service Bridge Installed at Gunnersbury Avenue

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See time lapse video of 104 tonne structure being put in place

 

A new service bridge has been installed at the Power Road Bridge under the North Circular in a significant milestone for the project. A time lapse video showing the installation has been released (see above).

Transport for London (TfL) is replacing the Power Road Bridge which carries the A406 Gunnersbury Avenue over the railway line. Not replacing the existing bridge would mean restricting the weight of vehicles and closing lanes to carry out maintenance, resulting in considerable disruption in the long term. The new structure will have an expected design lifespan of 120 years.

Power Road Bridge prior to installation

On 16/17 July, TfL’s Hochtief (UK) successfully installed the new 104 tonne service bridge. It was lifted into place by two 500 tonne cranes during a temporary contraflow traffic arrangement on the A406 Gunnersbury Avenue and a brief traffic hold on Sunday morning.

The service bridge was fabricated in Bolton and was transported to Power Road Bridge using a specialist bridge transporter. It is 30 metres long and the main girders are two metres deep with an additional 1.5 metre parapet on top. The six bored piles supporting the service bridge are approximately 20 metres in depth and were constructed with 200 tonnes of concrete.

The next phase of work is the diversion of the utility cables and pipes (electricity, gas, water, and telecommunications) from the existing Power Road Bridge carriageway into the new service bridge. TfL say this will minimise the need for road closures for future maintenance works on the utility pipes and cables.

From 18 July 2016, a single lane closure will be in place northbound on the A406 at Power Road Bridge for about five weeks while they begin the utility diversions.

In preparation for the main bridge works, and to ensure works are completed as quickly as possible, they say they will be working from 07:00 to 19:00 on weekdays and some Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays.

July 26, 2016