Balfour Beatty demolishes bridge over M8

Balfour Beatty has completed the demolition of a bridge over the M8 allowing the new Heartlands junction to be completed.

The farm access bridge was located between junctions 4 and 5. By demolishing it Balfour Beatty enabled the slip roads for the new junction to be completed.

The demolition of Cowhill Bridge is a major milestone in the construction of Junction 4a for Ecosse Regeneration. Using 10 excavators equipped with hydraulic breakers and munching attachments, the four span composite construction bridge was successfully removed during a 10-hour night time closure of the motorway. Materials removed during the demolition are being recycled, including the concrete which will be crushed and reused in the construction of the roads.

A recently completed 50 metre long, single span bridge provides a new access to the farm and forms part of the new grade separated junction that will provide the main access route to Heartlands, a £650 million business, retail, residential and leisure destination, providing around 4,000 new jobs. Funded by The Royal Bank of Scotland, this will be the first entirely privately funded motorway junction in Scotland.

M8 Junction 4a is set to open in September 2013.