Six large precast beams, each stretching 38 metres and weighing close to 100 tonnes, have been lifted into place at Thickthorn Junction near Norwich, marking a major milestone in National Highways’ upgrade of the A11 and A47. The beams, manufactured and delivered by Shay Murtagh Precast, form the structural backbone of a new bridge that will carry traffic as part of the wider scheme.
Getting six units of this size into position called for exact sequencing and a 750-tonne crane, all managed during a single weekend closure of the A11. The team handed the road back to drivers more than 24 hours ahead of schedule, limiting the disruption that a job of this scale might otherwise have caused to commuters and local traffic.
Every beam was cast off site before making the journey to Norfolk for assembly, an approach our logistics planning is built around: producing large-scale components in controlled conditions and moving them only once they’re ready for lifting. That method kept the installation window tight and reduced the amount of work needed on live carriageway.
Delivering a job like this depends on close coordination with the wider supply chain. Shay Murtagh worked alongside Skanska and fellow partner Expanded throughout manufacture, transport and installation, feeding into our concrete bridge beams range used across major infrastructure schemes in the UK and Ireland.
Thickthorn Junction itself is one of the more substantial pieces of road infrastructure taking shape in Norfolk at present. Alongside the new bridge, the scheme includes a 1.6km free-flow link connecting the A11 northbound to the A47 eastbound, two new underpasses, and roughly a kilometre of local link road. It’s the kind of multi-year civil engineering programme we regularly support, and you can see more examples of our work on schemes like it on our projects page.
Images courtesy of Skanska.
