Castleton Bridge: Stunning drone photos show 2000-tonne railway bridge being pulled down while M62 was closed
Around 120 people were involved in the project to pull down the 42m (138ft) long Castleton Bridge over the M62 before the road re-opened on Monday at 4.55am.
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Hide AdNetwork Rail said 11 excavator vehicles were used to take down the structure, near Rochdale, Greater Manchester, with their 14-tonne hydraulic hammers and jaws.
Workers first installed a deck to protect the road, then positioned the demolition equipment and methodically dismantled the old bridge beam by beam.
And the photos showed the machines working on the bridge along the eerily deserted motorway, which nearly 150,000 vehicles normally use each day.
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Hide AdNetwork Rail said it is investing £22m in the project, which will see a new rail bridge rebuilt in its place.
William Brandon, Network Rail project manager, said: “I’d like to thank passengers and drivers for their patience as we rebuild Castleton bridge.
“It is essential that we replace this ageing bridge for the safety of rail and road users, but I am sorry for the significant disruption the work will cause.”
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Hide AdUntil September 20, there will be nightly closures of the M62 between Junction 19 and Junction 20 from 9pm to 6am to allow engineers to continue work on the bridge supports.
The road will be closed again for a weekend from 9pm on September 20 to 6am on September 23, between Junction 18 and Junction 20 and the westbound carriageway between J19 and J20.
The railway between Manchester Victoria and Rochdale will remain closed until early morning September 25. Rail replacement buses are in operation.
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