Cambridge, United Kingdom - In the weekend of November 16th Victor Buyck in collaboration with Sarens UK installed both pylons and the backspan deck section for the BN22 NMU Bridge at Bar Hill. The installation is a major milestone in the works of Victor Buyck on the A14 scheme for Highways England and the A14 Integrated Delivery Team. The BN22 is similar to BN18 in design and in execution. 

The operation consisted of installing the 2 pylon each about 65T and 35m high and the bridge decks that span between the pylons and the abutment. The operation started on the North side and finished on the South side of the A14.

Thursday night November 14th the first bridge deck of about 50T and 21m span was installed with a LTM1500 on the North. The North Pylon was transported with a 10-axle SPMT from the offsite terrain to the bridge location and installed on the same closure. This was a tandem lift with the LTM1500 and an AC220. This operation required a closure of the A14.  To optimize the closure VBSC had preassembled the trestle tower that sits in between the on slip and the A14 and isntalled it in the same closure.

Friday night the two deck sections that wrap around the North pylon were installed with the LTM1500. In meantime all trestles on the South side were transported preassembled from the offsite terrain to the South and installed that night. As the availability of the South terrain was a just-in time operation due to restriction of the A14.

Last minute the closure across the A14 was cancelled for the transport of the pylons and the deck from the offsite to the South platform. Quick action and engineering by VBSC and Sarens found a solution via a new haulage road. Eventually the transport of both South Pylon per SPMT and the back span deck section per 9-axle trailer could proceed on Saturday.

The installation however had to wait for the first following closure on Monday November 18th. To minimize the disruption VBSC and Sarens committed to installing all three deck sections and the Pylon on the South in one night shift, which can be called quite an achievement. We congratulate all involved for this!

Next milestone for the BN22 will be the installation of the central span deck section mid December.