A major engineering project is due to get underway in North East Lincolnshire, it has been announced.

Over 100 contractors in Immingham will work throughout Christmas to install a new 4,000 tonne bridge at Rosper Road.

The structure will run under the railway line which carries freight trains between the Port of Immingham and Ulceby.

The work is part of Highways England £88.4 million A160/A180 Port of Immingham improvement scheme.

The bridge will be slide into position by four hydraulic jacks weighing over five tonnes each, once 20,000 tonnes of earth have been removed from the existing rail embankment.

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The construction team will use 40 and 20 tonne excavators, 35 tonne long reach excavators, a bulldozer and 8 dump trucks.

In addition, improvements will also be made to junctions along the route, including a new roundabout at the junction with the A180, a new bridge over the A160 on Town Street, and a new road under the railway line by the port.

Highways Agency Project Manager Ben Ridgeon said: "This is a complex piece of engineering at a strategically important site which is why our contractors will be doing this work over the Christmas period.

"Collaboration has been an instrumental part of this project – not merely between our contractors and Network Rail but also with our local stakeholders."

Roads Minister Andrew Jones added: "This impressive engineering feat is an important step towards improving access to this major UK port and is part of the government’s record £15 billion roads investment strategy.

"Immingham is vital to the regional and national economy, and the government is determined that both thrive as part of our long-term economic plan."

The Port of Immingham road improvement project began in March and is due to be completed in Autumn 2016.

(LM)