Timelapse shows dramatic demolition of Penrith’s Clifton Bridge
The first phase of a major £60 million renewal of a West Coast Main Line bridge near Penrith has been completed, with demolition work on the decades-old structure successfully finished over the weekend.
Network Rail and principal contractor Skanska removed the 130-metre Clifton Bridge, which had spanned the M6 motorway for nearly 60 years, in the early hours of Monday 5 January. The operation required a full closure of the motorway between junctions 39 and 40 from 8pm on Friday 2 January until 5am on Monday.
Using some of the country’s largest excavators, crews chipped away at the 1960s-built concrete structure, reducing it to rubble in just hours. Hundreds of onlookers watched as the bridge was dismantled, and timelapse footage has now been released to mark the milestone. The motorway reopened at 3.50am on Monday, 70 minutes ahead of schedule.
For the coming week, motorists will travel beneath the gap where the bridge once crossed, ahead of the next stage of the project. A new 4,200-tonne steel and concrete bridge will be installed during a 57-hour closure of the motorway from 8pm on Friday 9 January until 5am on Monday 12 January. Rail services on the West Coast Main Line remain disrupted, and passengers are advised to check journeys on the National Rail website until the project’s completion on 15 January.
Christian Irwin OBE, Network Rail North West and Central region Capital Delivery director, said:
“The demolition of Clifton bridge has been a mammoth task and I’d like to thank drivers who’ve had to use the road diversions, rail users whose journeys have changed and people local to the construction site who’ve been extremely patient with all the noise and disruption. This £60m project forms part of our major investment programme to improve journeys on the West Coast Main Line for passengers and freight for generations to come.”
Rosario Barcena, Skanska UK rail programme director, added:
"It's been an incredible effort by the entire team to complete the demolition of the former Clifton Bridge, working 24/7 across the weekend to make sure that the M6 motorway could re-open on Monday morning. Technically it was a complex operation which we managed with great precision and care. The works were completed safely, with the support structures that the new 4,200 tonne bridge will sit on successfully retained. It's been a super-collaborative approach with Network Rail, National Highways and our supply chain team. I'd also like to extend my thanks to people travelling in the region and the local community for their understanding while we undertake these essential works."
Image/Video: Network Rail