Striking images released today by Highways England give an insight into the scale of the challenge for road workers when installing three superspan gantries at an East Midlands junction.
With a width of around 40m, the gantries weigh up to 25 tonnes each. Two were installed spanning the eastbound and westbound carriageways of the A45 at Chowns Mill junction in Northamptonshire.
The third gantry now stretches across the southbound carriageway of the A6.
A number of overnight closures were needed to enable the major works to take place. The gantries have been installed as part of Highways England’s £24 million improvement scheme at the A45/A6 roundabout.
Signs will be fitted to the gantries which will help traffic flow more smoothly and provide important information for drivers.
Overnight closures took place between Monday 21 June and Friday 25 June. Station Road was also closed to carry out road marking and footpath work.
Highways England Construction Assurance Manager, David Marlow, said:
“The superspan gantries are the biggest infrastructure we are installing as part of this scheme and due to their sheer size required large machinery on site, including heavy lifting cranes, and highly-skilled specialist personal. For the safety of all involved, the road had to be closed
“Installations can be challenging but all went smoothly throughout the week and we were able to open on time the following mornings.
“We only close the road if absolutely necessary and we did so at night when the junction is quieter. But we appreciate closures can cause disruption and are grateful to people for their understanding while we carried out these major installations.”
Chowns Mill roundabout, where the A45 is crossed by the A6, is being redesigned to tackle congestion. It is being redesigned as a half hamburger layout with a new link road connecting the A6 South and A5028 with the existing roundabout. All approaches are being widened to provide extra lanes and capacity.
For information about the scheme, please visit their webpage: www.highwaysengland.co.uk/projects/a45a6-chowns-mill-roundabout-improvement/
Comments