The Highways Agency has heralded the success of an operation that took place at the weekend to slide a 5,000t bridge deck into place. The slide took place as part of a US$63 million project to replace the A34 Wolvercote Viaduct near Oxford, England.
Using the slide technique to replace the 1960s bridge has minimised the traffic closures for the 70,000 vehicles that use it every day.
The slide involved moving the 250m-long southbound bridge deck 16m from the position where it was built alongside the northbound carriageway.
Dorman Long Technology was employed by main contractor Costain to design, supply and operate an hydraulic lifting and skidding system to move the eight-span new east carriageway to its final position using eight parallel skidding tracks. Skidding, jack down and reopening of the viaduct took place in a 18 hour overnight road and rail possession using the DL-SU350 bridge sliding system.
The Wolvercote Viaduct carries the A34 between the Midlands and the South Coast over the Oxford to Birmingham railway line, the Oxford Canal and the A40.
