New bridge over the A30 at Bramshill Quarry

A NEW 21.6m bridge has been lifted into place over the A30 at CEMEX UK’s Bramshill Quarry, near Eversley, Hampshire, as part of a £1.2 million project to link the quarry’s current excavation area with the processing plant.

CEMEX southern regional director Rob Doody explained: ‘The quarry site covers more than 250ha and is intersected by the A30. As mineral extraction to the north of the A30 has been completed and re-forestation of the area has taken place, we have had to move extraction to the other side of the highway.

‘However, we still require easy access to our processing plant in the north of the site, which grades and washes the sand. A bridge with a conveyor was the most cost-effective, sustainable and efficient solution.’

In a rare move by a local authority, Hampshire County Council granted permission for the bridge to be constructed, rather than a tunnel or a roundabout.

The new bridge, which incorporates a conveyor belt and maintenance walkway, will transport 200 tonnes/h of sand and gravel 6.6m above the highway, allowing access to 1.2 million tonnes of high-quality sand and gravel reserves.