New images released by the Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) and Westfield today show the progress being made on the construction of a huge arched bridge that will form a crucial north–south link between the Olympic Village, Westfield’s Stratford City retail and leisure development, and the Olympic Park.
During the London 2012 Games, the bridge will form a key part of the Olympic Park Loop Road giving athletes and officials easy and quick access from the Olympic Village to venues in the Olympic Park. After the Games, the bridge will provide access between the Olympic Village, the Stratford City retail and leisure development, and the Olympic Park for visitors and local residents.
The bridge features a striking 18m-high arch and spans 87m over the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and DLR rail lines serving Stratford International Station. The 18m-wide bridge will include four road lanes (two each way) as well as two footpaths and a cycle path in legacy.
ODA Chief Executive David Higgins said: 'This bridge will form a pivotal point between three of the biggest regeneration projects in London, providing an essential new link between the thousands of new homes in the Olympic Village, the huge retail and leisure development at Stratford City, and the new world-class sporting venues and parklands in the Olympic Park.
'Not only will this new bridge provide essential access during the Games and in legacy, it will also deliver a striking new piece of architecture for east London.'
John Burton, Director of Stratford City for Westfield, said: 'The erection of the final piece of arch on programme is an excellent achievement and the culmination of many months of hard work by the whole team. The bridge provides a critical north to south link and is a fundamental piece of the complex infrastructure linking Westfield Stratford City, the Olympic Park and the existing town centre.'
The bridge’s steel arch is made up of three sections, each weighing around 65 tonnes, and the final section of the arch was lifted into place last week using an 800-tonne crane. Work will now take place to install a series of steel hangers to support the deck of the bridge from the arch above, and the bridge is due for overall completion in May.
Westfield and the ODA have also now started construction work on the Town Centre Link bridge – an additional new piece of infrastructure which will provide an important new link from the existing town centre in Stratford into the Olympic Park and Westfield’s retail and leisure development at Stratford City. The bridge will also provide an essential link between Stratford Regional Station and the new Stratford International Station.
The Town Centre Link bridge will measure approximately 130m long, 12m wide and will comprise around 1,700 tonnes of steel. The construction of the bridge is one of the most challenging structural engineering projects in the UK as it crosses 12 live railway lines and Stratford Regional Station.
Construction work will take place in three phases as the front, middle and end sections of the bridge are pushed into place across the railway lines, without interrupting rail services. Last weekend saw the first 40m section of the bridge ‘pushed’ out across the central part of the railway lines and safely locked into place. The second phase of works is planned to take place in May with the final section to be installed in July when the link will be complete. The bridge will open for public use in 2011 when Westfield’s Stratford City development opens.
In the Olympic Park site, construction work is underway on 11 bridges and underpasses in total and more than 30 new bridges will be built in the Olympic Park altogether to create new connections across the site and leave an open and accessible area in legacy.
At Westfield’s £1.45bn Stratford City site, up to a 1,000 tonnes of steel a week is being erected with work well underway on the John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Waitrose buildings as well as the main section of mall which will be home to around 300 new shops.
|
If you like this article and want to share it with friends, please use the social links below:
|
Back