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Ainscough Crane Hire has worked with leading steel construction and design firm SH Structures to lift into place a new footbridge that will form part of an infrastructure programme being undertaken by Manchester City Council.
The new footbridge will re-connect part of the Fallowfield Loop, an off-road cycle and pedestrian path which follows the route of a historic railway line of the same name – closed in 1988 – that travels from the city centre through south and east Manchester.
The work forms part of the council’s £5.9 million project to widen a bottleneck on Hyde Road in Gorton, with the footbridge replacing a 19th-century railway bridge which was removed earlier this year.
A section of the A57 was shut on Saturday 27th June to allow the work to be carried out.
Ainscough Crane Hire was appointed by SH Structures on a crane hire basis to lift and position the bridge – 25 metres long, four metres high and four metres wide – into place with Dean Shockledge and John Noon operating a 300t crane and Andy Jackson supporting with a 55t crane.
SH Structures was delivering its work on behalf of Eric Wright Civil Engineering. Manchester City Council plans to open the bridge to the public in July.
Gary Rathburn, Ainscough Crane Hire’s Manchester depot manager, said: “The lift requirements were mapped out perfectly and our guys worked closely with SH Structures to ensure the new footbridge was lifted into place inline within the timeframes allowed by the road closures. The new bridge will be a great addition to Gorton when opened next month.”
