Footage shows a new 740 tonne bridge being slid into place across the A46 at Stoneleigh Island junction.

The bridge, which forms part of the £38 million works, was installed earlier this month with road closures in place for around a week.

The works were due to take place in December but were pushed back so as not to coincide with Christmas.

While the bridge was moved into place, traffic was forced off dual carriageway either side of the junction and the Stoneleigh Road was completely closed.

While the roads reopened a day earlier than expected, more closures around the junction have since been announced by HS2.

Having started in December 2020, the project will also see a new roundabout built at the site.

WCC says the new junction will reduce the regular delays and queueing traffic, improve road safety and ensure the junction can cope with more vehicles to cope with all the houses being built nearby.

The Stoneleigh Junction scheme is being funded by Warwickshire County Council, The Department for Transport, the West Midlands Combined Authority with developer contributions from the University of Warwick and Whitley South Works through the Coventry & Warwickshire Development Partnership.

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The new bridge deck was constructed by specialist contractor Colas Ltd away from its supports in order to minimise disruption. The deck was then installed into its permanent position using a deck lift and transportation method over the weekend of 21-22 January.

Once the construction was complete, the 740 tonne bridge deck was jacked to full height in the off-line area during the week prior to the move, by the experienced team from Sarens.

It was then lifted using a self-propelled modular transporter (SPMT), carried into position across the A46 and lowered onto the new abutment walls.

Cllr Wallace Redford, portfolio holder for transport and highways, said: "This was an incredibly impressive piece of engineering and construction by our contractors at Colas and Sarens and marks a really exciting milestone for the Stoneleigh Junction Improvements, which we expect to be complete by the summer.

"The benefits of this scheme to local residents, businesses and the wider network are significant and it's great news that we are now a step closer to them being realised. 

"We would like to sincerely thank local residents for their continued patience with these essential developments to the junction, which forms part of this Council's commitment to ensuring that residents are supported through excellent transport infrastructure."

Colas Executive Director for Construction Solutions, Sean Jeffery was on site and said: "We are delighted with the smooth running of this significant milestone for the A46 project.

"The entire project team, including our partners and stakeholders, have worked tirelessly to plan this manoeuvre and their efforts were rewarded with the success of this highly complex phase of the project."

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