Bridge taking shape at vital King’s Dyke project

A key milestone in a major road and railway transport project in Whittlesey has been marked, with the supporting structure for the bridge close to completion.

The reinforced earth abutments, which connect the deck of the bridge with the ground and supports its weight, have started to reach their full height ahead of beams being lifted into place.

The bridge, which goes over the Ely to Peterborough railway line on the A605 is part of the £32m King’s Dyke Level Crossing Scheme, which also includes building a new road and the removal of a level crossing.

North Wales-headquartered Jones Bros Civil Engineering UK, which was appointed by Cambridgeshire County Council, began on-site in March 2020 with the project due to open to traffic by the end of 2022.

Rhydian Hafal, construction manager for Jones Bros was joined by Councillors David Connor and Steve Count to see the progress being made first-hand.

Rhydian said: “We’re really pleased to have reached this point in the scheme and I was very happy to be able to show the councillors all of the progress that has been made on site.

“Due to their height, the abutments are visible to members of the public, so this gives a real indication to those nearby that construction is continuing at pace and to schedule.

“As part of our work we will continue to make use of the region’s supply chain, which will include using a local supplier for the next step, the concrete pour to finalise construction of the abutments.

“We’d like to thank all of the commuters affected for their patience and understanding.”

Cambridgeshire County Council leader Cllr Steve Count said: “Myself and Cllr Connor wanted to visit site to have that oversight of such a key milestone on this hugely important project and check the progress on site. I am delighted we have achieved this on time and on budget.

“The bridge is one of the most talked about parts of the project and it was fascinating to see the bridge abutments at their full height of around 4-5m and I was pleased to see the progress being made – this will new road will benefit so many residents and businesses.”

The County Council and Jones Bros have been working hard together to manage the coronavirus situation and all construction activity complies with the government’s COVID-19 restrictions and national construction site operating procedures.

Jones Bros are on site full-time and will be working alongside the County Council to ensure local residents and businesses are kept informed throughout the duration of the project and any disruption is kept to a minimum.