North East & Yorkshire Premier Construction

Wear Crossing bridge centrepiece prepared for its journey to Wearside

Wear Crossing centrepiece being prepared for its journey to Wearside .
Written by Amy

Preparations are underway for the centrepiece of Sunderland’s new bridge ‘The New Wear Crossing’ – the impressive A-frame pylon – to begin its momentous journey across the North Sea to Sunderland.

During a major operation this week, the 100m steel structure was transferred from two canal barges onto a single large, sea-going barge, named Louis, ready for its transfer to Wearside in the new year. In the coming days, the pylon, which is constructed from 1,000 tonnes of steel and 550 tonnes of concrete, will be fastened down and prepared for its trip to the North East, which is expected to take about two days.

You can see video footage of the pylon being transferred from two canal barges onto one larger, sea-going barge here.

The pylon’s departure from the Port of Ghent in Belgium is being overseen by Sarens, a world leader in heavy lifting and engineered transport, and will be dependent upon weather and sea conditions. Details will be released once Louis has begun its journey with the pylon and people will then have the opportunity to welcome it on its arrival into the Port of Sunderland.

Leader of Sunderland City Council, Councillor Paul Watson, said:

“We are getting very close now to the pylon arriving into Sunderland. It’s an impressive structure – striking in both size and appearance – and I think the people of Sunderland are going to be wowed by it. We are more than half way through the construction of the New Wear Crossing project and the arrival of the pylon will signal a new phase. In the coming weeks, we will see the pylon travel up the River Wear to the site in Pallion, and will then see it raised vertically into position, which will be quite something to watch. I believe this bridge will inject new life into Sunderland, through investment, job creation and regeneration, so it’s wonderful to see it progressing well and entering this exciting time.”

The New Wear Crossing is on track to open in spring 2018.

With dual 2-lane carriageways for vehicles, and dedicated cycle and pedestrian routes, it will enhance public transport as well as significantly improve the important transport links to the city centre and Port of Sunderland from the A19 and A1.

The New Wear Crossing will create 2.8km of new road, connecting Castletown to the north of the River Wear with Pallion to the south, and will also improve journey time for commuters and reduce congestion around the city. The bridge is being built on behalf of Sunderland City Council by Farrans Construction and Victor Buyck Steel Construction, known as FVB Joint Venture.

In recent weeks, the team on site in Sunderland has been working around the clock to prepare for the arrival of the pylon, which has involved the construction of two tusk-like structures inside the cofferdam in the river, which will support the pylon. The tusks are now complete and are fixed to the bridge foundations inside the cofferdam, which is a large, watertight box secured into the riverbed that provides the team with a dry environment to work within. Each tusk is made with 38 tonnes of reinforcing steel and 150 cubic meters of concrete and will form the base of each leg of the pylon. They stand at more than eight metres tall and rise above the cofferdam wall.

Stephen McCaffrey, Project Director for FVB, said he was pleased with progress:

“We are working closely with Sarens and the port authorities both in Belgium and Sunderland to ensure the pylon is well prepared for its journey to the North East and has a smooth transition to Sunderland and then on to the site. We have been working on the pylon for more than a year. It’s a huge structure, which meant, following fabrication, assembly needed to be completed in the open air, so you can appreciate the planning and expertise that has gone into lifting and transporting it. We are really excited to see it arrive into Sunderland. I hope people come out to watch. I think they will be impressed.”

About the author

Amy