27/02/2014
Development at i54 South Staffordshire reaches its next milestone on Saturday as an old access bridge over the motorway is demolished.
The replacement Middle Lane bridge with larger span was installed over the M54 last year and now carries the public footpath and access track. The old bridge will be demolished overnight this Saturday, March 1, when there will be a road closure on the M54 between 6pm and 10am with diversions in place.
The old bridge, which was built of reinforced concrete in the 1980s, will be demolished using excavator jaws. The rubble will be crushed and reused on site as foundation material.
Last month, the main junction bridge was installed and work is now on schedule to finish the junction by September. Site development continues to progress well. The Prime Minister visited the new Jaguar Land Rover engine manufacturing centre earlier this month and construction is underway on another plot to build a unit for International Security Printers (ISP) which has a global client base. Two companies are already operating on site – Moog, which manufactures flight control systems for civil and military aircraft, employing 400 skilled employees and Eurofins, a leading scientific testing and analysis company, where 150 more people work.
Staffordshire County Council’s cabinet member for economy and infrastructure Mark Winnington said: “The removal of the old access bridge is another milestone and shows the new junction is really taking shape. This month the Prime Minister visited the Jaguar Land Rover site which really demonstrates that i54 South Staffordshire is a prime location for business.
“Having a dedicated junction for the site has been one of the draws for leading businesses and so we’re pleased to see it developing. We’d again like to thank people for their patience while work is carried out on the junction.”
The i54 South Staffordshire development is a partnership between Staffordshire County Council, South Staffordshire Council and Wolverhampton City Council.