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News & Media > Rail Services

01:07:2010

New bridge will take freight from road to rail

May Gurney is nearing completion of a project for Network Rail which will pave the way for more freight to be moved from the port of Felixstowe by rail rather than road.

Reconstruction of the Stoney Stanton overbridge is part of Network Rail's 'P2Nw10' project to enhance the rail loading gauge to W10 on the Cross Country route from Peterborough to Nuneaton and the West Coast Main Line via Leicester.

This will allow 9'-6" containers to be moved on standard height flat bed wagons, reducing the need to move container traffic from Felixstowe to the west midlands and north west via London. Ultimately, the project will pave the way for all of the sustainability benefits associated with moving freight traffic by rail rather than road.

This is the sixth of 10 schemes being delivered by May Gurney as part of the P2Nw10 programme.

Other schemes have involved replacing main span arches with new concrete arches with greater clearance dimensions; demolition of a redundant structure; and providing retaining measures to allow track lowering in the vicinity of an existing structure.

Stoney Stanton represents the most significant works with the demolition and full reconstruction of the bridge abutments along with the main span.

The new build will consist of wingwalls and abutments constructed from in-situ reinforced concrete on reinforced in-situ concrete spread foundations.

The superstructure will be a steel composite deck consisting of four longitudinal plate girders, 800mm deep, with a 31m skew span between bearings.

The bridge deck will be 250mm thick reinforced concrete. Pre-cast reinforced concrete ‘L’-shaped parapets will be stitched to the concrete deck to form H4a very high containment parapets.

Additional reinforced concrete approach walls will also be installed. These walls are constructed as part of the design to avoid the need for extensive land purchase next to the structure.

The 30-week scheme is valued at £1.55m and scheduled to be complete by 9 September. It is being carried out in co-ordination with two other W10 schemes also being delivered by May Gurney.