As market leaders in steel fabrication, with a wellestablished reputation in the infrastructure sector, Severfield was well suited to fabricating and installing the new A1 Birtley to Coalhouse Allerdene bridge.

The 155-metre bridge spans over the East Coast Mainline railway and forms part of a larger road improvement project on the A1 to increase the capacity of the carriageway to three lanes. The project upgrades the existing route and is expected to improve motorists’ safety and help support economic growth in the north-east.

The bridge comprises 3,400 tonnes of structural steel, consisting of eight paired girders across the railway, and 16 single girders either side, stretching the full span of the structure. The scale of the construction required the use of specialised cranes, in addition to precise logistical planning. Crawler cranes were required to position over 30 girders weighing around 30 tonnes each, with the eight paired girders having to be lifted in place during specific periods on Saturday nights, to avoid major disruption to the railway.

Severfield’s expert navigation of the challenging build environment, including high winds and significant traffic and rail strikes (restricting site access) allowed the project to be delivered safely, to scope and in a timely manner.

Like all our projects, we have a commitment to improving sustainability and reducing the carbon impact where possible. On this project, we were able to dismantle the temporary works (supports) for future reuse, reducing the volume of steel consumed on the project and showcasing the continuity lifecycle of steel.

Severfield continues to invest in the future of steel reuse, streamlined steel fabrication and installation methods as part of our drive to create better ways of building and to reduce the carbon footprint of projects.