Civil engineering specialist GRAHAM has reached what it called a major milestone on the new M11 Junction 7a project with the installation of structural steel beams to create a new overbridge.
The new Mores Overbridge will form an integral part of the project to create a new junction between the existing junctions 7 at Harlow and 8 at Stansted, providing a new east-west link through the Essex town.
It links the eastern and western sides of the new Junction 7a which, via a ‘dumbbell roundabout’ arrangement, will provide full connectivity with new northbound and southbound on-slips and off-slips and improve access to the area’s road network, along with a new link road and upgrade to Gilden Way in Harlow.
Project manager David Slevin said: ‘The scale of the overall operation to complete these works was huge. With a 600-tonne capacity crawler crane being deployed for the main lifts the establishment of the crane platforms, crane assembly area and beam assembly and delivery areas proved highly challenging tasks.
‘Thankfully, we were able to call on the vast engineering experience of our team and the teams of our supply chain partners to complete the delivery, lifting and installations without any issues arising.’
GRAHAM said its project team completed the beam installation over a two-week period to include offline rigging and de-rigging of the main lifting crane.
Four overnight closures of the M11 were made to allow the safe lifting and installation of the beams. The closures also allowed for the installation of all the permanent formwork panels to the deck and the installation of the permanent bracing between the pairs of beams.
Working with Highways England, the closures were further used for other maintenance works on the M11.
Mr Slevin said GRAHAM would shift its focus onto the next phase of works in the project. The major earthworks operations and drainage installation works on the scheme are also underway on the junction and link road, due for completion in the autumn.
Surfacing, fencing, landscaping and other finishing works will then continue into 2022, when the scheme is due to open. Significant surfacing works to the widened existing Gilden Way carriageway are also due to commence in June with a series of planned weekend closures.
The £39.5m M11 scheme has been funded through Highways England, the Department for Transport, Essex CC and the South East Local Enterprise Partnership.
