THE main span of a new bridge connecting Sighthill with Glasgow city centre is set to be installed.
Glasgow City Council confirmed that BAM Nuttall will carry out the works overnight from July 31 until August 1, with the M8 closing in both directions for a 14-hour period.
The new bridge forms part of the £250 million regeneration of Sighthill, making it the biggest such project in the UK outside of London. It will allow active travel connections between the area and the city centre, as well as neighbouring communities.
The previous bridge was demolished in the summer of 2020 to facilitate the new crossing. Over the past year, the new been fabricated alongside the westbound carriageway of the M8. Work has also begun on the steps, ramps and concourse that form the approaches to the new structure.
The local authority said that construction work already underway on the project has been a ‘visible spectacle’ for the regular users of the motorway. During preparation shifts leading up to July 31, lighting masts and barriers will be removed, with the bridge being bolted to a specialist trailer – known as an SPMT – which will be used for transporting the 1,000 tonne structure.
The motorway will then be prepared, protected and inspected to ensure it meets the engineering specification for this type of activity. The SPMT will then drive the bridge along the M8, which this will take between four and six hours, before the team uses hydraulic jacks to lift the bridge into place – which will be the most complex part of the operation as the bridge must meet exact specifications to ensure the structure acts as designed.
Glasgow City Council said that it expects the bridge to open in the early months of 2022.
