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Ainscough Crane Hire has played a pivotal role in helping the people of Moray gain access to a much-loved beach following years without it being open to the public.
Ainscough’s Heavy Cranes team was appointed by Beaver Bridges to install the new Lossiemouth Bridge, which will make Lossiemouth’s East Beach accessible for the first time in three years.
In the summer of 2019, the original 100-year-old bridge strained under the weight of visitors, meaning it was deemed unsafe for further use. The closure caused both economic and social harm to the local community.
Beaver Bridges was appointed on a full turnkey basis to design, manufacture and install the new bridge. It was constructed at Beaver Bridges’ factory in Shrewsbury and transported to Moray by truck.
Over a period of four days, Ainscough’s team lifted one section of the bridge into position per day.
The bridge has an overall length of 75m, comprising two 16.5m and two 21m spans.
It has a width of 4.164m and 3.5m internal between parapets, while its total superstructure weighs 70 tonnes.
Ainscough deployed a 750t crane to underwork the work. The crane was used on guyed main boom for the first two sections, with a 73m luffer added to complete the two sections furthest away from the beach.
Ainscough’s operators for the job were Ashley Winter, Daniel Carrack, and Bryn Davies.
Michael Smith, operations manager – Heavy Cranes, Ainscough Crane Hire said: “It was a pleasure to work with Beaver Bridges in lifting into place this brilliant new bridge. We’re delighted that we’ve been able to play a small role in helping to bring Lossiemouth Bridge back into use for the local community, as well as helping to create a new landmark for the area.”
Richard Hinckley, sales director, Beaver Bridges, said: “This was a challenging project, but one we enjoyed working on immensely. Ainscough were a pleasure to collaborate with – they fully met their brief and the bridge was installed seamlessly.”
The installation of the bridge was monitored by viewers around the world on a special live stream set up by Moray Council, and schools and other local residents were invited to the site to watch the progress of a project that will make such a difference to Moray.
See more here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGBzvSWrrgc
