The bridge
new ones altogether. The work takes place with 80,000 vehicles coming through the site every day. It is a huge undertaking.”
The project also includes a massive amount of work that will never be seen by the public, such as dealing with contaminated land or building new roads purely for equipment and materials to get into the construction site.
On the Widnes side alongside the path of the bridge and viaduct for instance, a haul road was built using around 200 tonnes of crushed rock, while a special trestle bridge was built to span the Mersey too, so the three pylons measuring 80 metres, 115 metres and 125 metres high can be built in the river using an automated climbing machine as well as expert staff.
He said: “A few people thought that was the actual bridge, and while it isn’t, it is still a crucial support structure.”
Once the work is done, that road and bridge will be broken down again and hauled away – as if they were never there.
Construction director Paul Fenwick said: “It is a huge logistical task to keep on top of all that different work, and it does take the breath away sometimes. That’s why the project was broken down into nine areas. They all report in to the centre which is how we stay on schedule. It’s like eating an elephant – you’d never manage it in one go, but as bite-sized chunks.”
Mr O’Connor said: “We are working now to ensure we keep going to schedule and work hard, but there are challenges, not least the weather.
“Different temperatures and rain is fine, but wind is the biggest issue, especially working at height using cranes.
“Everyone here is determined to deliver. You don’t often get the chance to work on something as significant as this, which is going to be one of the biggest bridges in the country.” www.TimeshareAdvice.co.uk