End of the line

PP O’Connor, based in Irlam, Salford, used a 700 tonne mobile crane to remove a 30 tonne, 134 year old footbridge at Altrincham Railway Station, now known as Altrincham Interchange, between 1.30 and 20,00 on Sunday, October 26. The structure was lifted out in two sections and then processed on site for recycling by an excavator with shear and grapple attachments. Thirty-eight personnel were involved in the project, working in two shifts during a track possession that could not exceed 27 hours.

The work is part of an £19 million (US$31 million) redevelopment of the Interchange that aims to provide a safer and fully integrated transport hub. A replacement bridge had already been built by Laing O'Rourke pror to thr removal of the Victorian structure.

Peter O’Connor, the managing director of PP O’Connor, said: “Working at night with a large crane over railway lines is always a major challenge but it is testament to our team at PP O’Connor that the works were completed on time without a hitch.”