Cambridge, United Kingdom - Last week Victor Buyck completed the first grand milestone of the A14 project successfully. For client A14 IDT Victor Buyck constructs two cable-stayed pedestrian bridges in Section 4 on this scheme in between Cambridge and Huntingdon. On site works currently focused on the BN18 structure. After several months of hard work in fabrication, engineering and on site VBSC installed the 4 back span deck sections and the two pylons of the Swavesey bridge BN18 into final position. After six days of work Victor Buyck and Sarens UK successfully completed the operation.

Saturday night 27^th July both pylons of the bridge were transported by SPMT from the off site terrain to their concrete bases 3.4km further down the A14. The pylons have a length of about 30m, a width of 7m and a weight of 55T. The Pylons were loaded by Friday end of business. Saturday the 500T mobile crane and 220T mobile crane were rigged up. By 8pm Saturday the pylons left the assembly yard. By 9.30pm the closure of the A14 was in place and the transport on the A14 could start. By 10.30pm the pylons arrived on site. The North Pylon was set up next to the cranes to be lifted in the same closure. The South pylon crossed the A14 to be temporarily stored next to its concrete base, ready for lifting in the coming days. Our erectors connected the 500T mobile crane to the top of the North pylon and the 220T mobile crane to its base. The cranes worked in tandem as top and tailing crane to bring the pylon from horizontal to vertical position. The 220T mobile crane was released after vertical position was reached, and the 500T mobile crane lifted the pylon into position, onto its holding down bolts. By Sunday morning 1am, the North pylon was secured in final position.

Monday at 12am exceptional transport brought in both North back span deck sections, BD07 and BD08. They came in from Belgium through the port of Tilbury on a just-in-time basis. The decks are each 27m long, 6m width and weighting about 55T. In meantime the 220T mobile crane was derigged and the 500T mobile crane was repositioned to install the deck sections. By Monday evening 9pm both deck sections were installed onto the temporary trestle towers. First the deck sections passing through the pylon legs were installed. Afterwards the deck section at the abutment was installed, hence completing the North side of the A14.

Tuesday all was set up to lift in the South Pylon. The 500T mobile was remobilized to the other side of the A14 and the 220T mobile crane was rigged. However -with gust winds to 19m/s- weather obstructed any lifting operation.

Wednesday at 9pm the A14 was closed for traffic and the South pylon was lifted onto its concrete base. By 1pm the pylon was secured. The operation was identical to the one performed on the North earlier.

By the next day 1pm the 500T mobile crane was rebuilt and the south back span section BD01 and BD02 could be installed. The installation sequence was identical to the one on the North. It took 4 hours in total to install both deck sections. By Thursday 5pm the last deck element was installed, and –by that- the full operation was successfully completed after 6 days.

Next milestone will be the installation of the mid span deck in between. This is programmed early September.