Railway bridge demolished by AR Demolition

Demolition, cutting and removal of disused railway bridge in Warwickshire

The former double-track, railway bridge spanning the A444 Weddington Rd in Nuneaton was constructed in 1972, but after only a few years in service it was closed along with the entire line, following the Beeching Report.

Still under the ownership of British Rail, the bridge demolition was commissioned as part of BR’s non-operational asset rationalization programme.

The deck was originally constructed using steel trusses and beams and mass-filled with concrete to carry the tracks overhead. The bridge was supported at each end by traditional concrete abutments and from beneath by two pairs of 11-tonne steel legs.

The structure was stripped back to its primary frame and the deck was gas cut into six sections weighing between 13 tonnes and 24 tonnes each. AR Demolition used a 230-tonne crane to lower each of the sections and both steel legs down onto crash decks where the pieces were further cut down for transporting off site.

A Temporary Traffic Regulation Order for closing the road over the weekend of 24-25 September 2011 was granted to AR Demolition and work commenced on demolishing the structure at 3.00am on the Saturday morning. The main work was completed by 11.30pm on the Saturday, 24h ahead of schedule.

British Rail representatives were on site monitoring the contract and reported back favourably on the professionalism and high standards adopted by AR Demolition throughout the job.