M62 smart motorway project is using 500-tonne cranes

What do you do when trying to quickly remove and replace a large section of motorway on Britain's busy road network? You hire the biggest cranes you can find to ensure big things get moved quickly and without incident.

That's what Highways England is currently doing on a section of the M62 motorway, which is being transformed into a "smart motorway" before the end of 2017.

The cranes used are being provided by Baldwins Crane Hire Limited, who've been in the business since 1957. The massive 500-tonne cranes are being used to remove 40-metre-long sections of concrete gantry, a job that would otherwise require a lot more time and planning.

We've included one image of the cranes here, but the Manchester Evening News has a gallery of the project and cranes in action.

Watch the sausage bridge demolition timelapse video

Last week we reported on C&D customer Windmill Demolition demolishing the sausage bridge over the M62 near Huyton. It meant closing the motorway for a weekend, but while that may have frustrated drivers, it did allow for a camera to be setup to record the job. What you see above is a timelapse video of the entire demolition process. Fantastic work by Windmill.

C&D assist Windmill Demolition with project management on sausage bridge removal

C&D helped Windmill Demolition with project management during the demolition of the so-called sausage bridge over the M62 near Huyton last weekend.

The pedestrian bridge called the Greystone footbridge had come to the end of its lifetime, and the M62 was closed over the weekend to ensure its safe removal. A new, modern footbridge is planned which will also cater for cyclists. However, it is not due to be open to the public until October 19th, with the installation happening on October 10-11th, when the M62 will be closed once again.

Source: Liverpool Echo