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News and Comment August 2014

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11 August (Part 2) - Hurricane Bertha impedes Crossrail

Footbridge FootbridgeMy excuses for missing most of the weekend’s Crossrail activities are detailed below, except that my knees were so weak and aching by Saturday I don’t think my legs could have carried me as far as Abbey Wood station which is how I came to miss seeing the installation of the station footbridge.

Further up the line work was proceeding on the new track but at Church Manorway things were not going well. The enormous new footbridge was delivered by lorry as I watched but although it was attached to the crane and the slack taken up it was judged to be too windy to risk raising it. With its solid sides it would provide far more wind loading than the open framework of the Abbey Wood bridge.

Track laying Track laying Track laying Track laying

The available viewpoints for the Church Manorway bridge installation (below) were severely restricted.

Bridge installation Bridge installation Bridge installation Bridge installation

Bridge installation Bridge installation Bridge installation Bridge installation

If the bridge wasn’t put in place during the night, one very long trailer is going to be out of commission for a few weeks!

The final photograph shows the piling required before the track can be laid. A construction worker told me that under the weight of concrete alone the piles sunk four metres into the ground and a further six metres before they reached solid ground.

 

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