One company that has been actively involved in raising the old A1 to modern motorway standards is Tyne Tees Demolition Limited.
So where does the demolition come in? Managing director Dave Gauja explains, “In order to widen the dual carriageway from two lanes to three in each direction, the client required the demolition of roadside farms, cafes, petrol filling stations, and also the demolition of seven bridges to allow the new motorway to be constructed along a 14-mile stretch of the A1.
We took down the first of the bridges in September 2010. The A1 was closed from 6pm on Saturday until 1pm on Sunday and we had to demolish the bridge and clean up ready for traffic in just 18 hours!”
The first stage was to protect the existing carriageway using huge wooden mats. Then, two 50 tonne excavators were manoeuvred into position on the deck and began to break out the deck and road structure. A 500 tonne crane was used to remove the steel girders that were supporting the deck, before concrete debris and protective wooden mats were removed and the road swept clean. The final stage was to re-erect the central barriers.
Dave said, “I am proud and delighted to say that we completed each one on or before time. All of the material was taken away and 100% of it was recycled. The whole job was completed without any incidents or accidents.”
Tyne Tees Demolition was encouraged to enter the World Demolition Awards following their work on the A1. They were one of three companies to be shortlisted for the ‘Civils Demolition Award’ and the results were announced at the 2011 World Demolition Summit in Amsterdam on November 4. For further information please telephone 01325 308080 or visit www.tyneteesdemolition.co.uk.
