Greek Street bridge – out with the old, in with the new

A 67-year-old railway bridge carrying a roundabout over the West Coast Main Line in Stockport has been successfully removed in the first week of its major £20m replacement.

Our Murphy project team is ten days into a 21-day railway closure for the huge civil engineering project to transform transport in the Northwest.

One week into the highly anticipated project, 200 old concrete beams have been cut out and removed from the site. 

Lifted by two huge cranes, with a combined capacity of 1300 tonnes, the redundant bridge beams were carefully placed to the ground and taken off site by a fleet of 67 heavy goods vehicles (HGVs). 

With a 60m cavernous gap where the old bridge used to be, the team can now prepare to install the new bridge this week.

The new bridge structure is made up of 51 parts which will be moved into their final position by the two crawler cranes, which have a maximum hoisting height of 196m.

Footage of the first week of work is now available, showing the impressive scale of the task at hand.

Stephen Harnett, Murphy project manager, said: “At Murphy our aim is to improve life by delivering world-class infrastructure, so we are proud to be delivering this critical work with Network Rail. The project is a real team effort and we are all united in our commitment to improving the transportation network for the local community and the wider North West. We look forward to seeing the new bridge in use again very soon.”

William Brandon, Network Rail project manager, said: “After years of planning it is fantastic to see the work at Greek Street get off to such a good start. The team on site are doing a great job, and I’m really looking forward to seeing the new bridge installed within the next two weeks.

“Once the railway reopens, journeys for passengers will be safer and more reliable for the next 120 years. This truly is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to improve the West Coast Main Line for future generations. 

“I’m very grateful to passengers and the Stockport community for their patience during this essential work. I’d advise everyone to continue to plan their journeys carefully on the National Rail Enquiries website. We’ve done everything we can to create the best possible alternative travel plan.”

The original bridge, which was constructed in 1958 needs to be replaced with a modern structure which will last for up to 120 years.