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31st August 2016

Ainscough Crane Hire Play Role In M20 Bridge Re-opening

crane

Ainscough Crane Hire played a key role in the urgent operation to re-open the M20 in Kent after a collision last weekend caused a concrete bridge to collapse on to the carriageway.

The motorway, which links the M25 with the south coast and the Eurotunnel terminal, was closed on one of the busiest weekends of the year after a pedestrian bridge came down on the London-bound carriageway on Saturday after it was hit by a lorry carrying a digger.

Ainscough teams and equipment were quickly deployed to clear the motorway, which was closed for 24 hours after the incident on Saturday morning.

Two 300-tonne cranes were dispatched to the scene, which was between junctions three and four of the busy motorway.

Ainscough’s team, which as well as the cranes included four ballast carrying vehicles and 14 men, gathered at Clacket Lane Services on the M25 at 2am on Sunday morning and then moved to the site.

They then worked through the night to clear the concrete sections from the motorway, allowing the highways authorities to reopen the road Sunday afternoon.

The operation was co-ordinated by Mark James, Operations Director (South) at Ainscough Cranes, and directed on the ground by Rene Bleidorn from the company’s depot in Maidstone, Kent.

Mark said: “It was an urgent operation which posed a number of challenges.

“Our number one objective was to get the right equipment on site, as quickly as we could so we could safely clear the motorway on one of the busiest weekends for traffic in the year.

“When an urgent job comes in, it’s a case of having to find the right solution and redeploying the assets to the site of the incident. Matters were not helped by the fact that it was a really busy bank holiday weekend and resources were at a premium.

“Despite the urgent nature of the request everyone worked incredibly hard to get the job done in a calm and professional manner. I believe our response showed our strength in depth and capability of our resources.”

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