Residents in Stratford, east London will be waking up on Christmas Day to a very special present – a brand new pedestrian and cycle bridge.
The 66 metre-long, 7.2 metre-wide and 350-ton steel Carpenters Land Bridge will be installed by civil engineering contractor GRAHAM and is a key part of the infrastructure for East Bank, the new £1.1 billion culture and education district being created on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park. The new bridge will link museums, theatres, music studios and UAL’s London College of Fashion with the new business district at International Quarter London.
While Father Christmas is busy delivering his own presents, Santa’s little helpers at GRAHAM will start work in the early hours of Christmas morning and aim to install the bridge in time for the Queen’s speech at 3pm.
Taking advantage of the rail network shutdown to minimise disruption, GRAHAM’s team will position the bridge across three Network Rail lines, two DLR lines and Carpenters Road.
The bridge is formed of a portal frame and bearings, a concrete cill beam and bearings within an existing retaining wall structure and will cross Network Rail and Docklands Light Railway lines.
Leo Martin Managing Director of GRAHAM’s civil engineering division said: “Our teams have been working incredibly hard on this new link for East Bank.
“While many people will be getting an early night in anticipation of enjoying the festivities during Christmas Day, our dedicated teams will be working through the night to get the bridge in place – minimising disruption to the people who will reap the benefits once the work is complete.
“The team will be putting the bridge in place using a self-propelled modular transporter rather than the traditional usage of a crane used on similar projects. This provides greater certainty to the installation.”
“I can’t thank our team enough, who will always look to go above and beyond to enhance the reputation of GRAHAM, whilst doing their utmost to make sure disruption on the community is kept to a minimum.”
Rosanna Lawes, Executive Director of Development at London Legacy Development Corporation, said: “East Bank is a vital scheme to deliver thousands of jobs and opportunities in east London. Our thanks go to all the hard working construction staff who have made fantastic progress, especially those from GRAHAM and their contractors who will be working over the Christmas holidays to deliver a new bridge during the Christmas blockade to avoid disrupting the rail network.”