Hampshire village bypass bridge takes shape

Six steel beams, formed into three pairs, are being lifted into place to form a new road bridge over the River Hamble in Hampshire.

Each pair of 70m-long beams weighs approximately 130t, which is equivalent to 90 average-sized cars. A 700t-capacity crawler crane is being used to install the beams across the river.

The steel bridge is an important element of the 1.8km-long Botley Bypass project, which is being undertaken by M Group, on behalf of Hampshire County Council.

In preparation for the delivery of the steelwork, a total of 130 bridge piles, driven to a depth of 21m, were installed on each side of the river. As the ground conditions are poor and in a flood risk area, more than 1,000 ground stabilisation piles were also installed.

Nusteel Structures is fabricating and supplying the project’s steelwork.