Balfour Beatty has completed a bridge demolition scheme as part of a £174 million M3 improvement project in Surrey.

The contractor levelled the Woodlands Lane Bridge between junctions 2 and 3 in Windlesham during the early hours of Saturday, 19 November.

The structure will be rebuilt as part of the multi-million pound upgrade scheme, which will see a smart motorway created to provide road users with an extra lane in both directions, reducing congestion between London, the south coast and the Solent ports. Work on the M3 is scheduled for completed in summer 2017.

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Over 250 engineers, construction and support workers helped deliver the demolition, which was carried out using a variety of methods to break up the structure and protect the carriageway beneath, including the installation of plywood protection, 150mm of timber mats and a further 600mm of crushed concrete. Unfolding geotextile curtains were used to contain the dust and rubble when the bridge fell on to the protected area of the road.

Overall, the work was completed on time and the carriageway reopened ahead of schedule.

Stephen Tarr, Managing Director for Balfour Beatty said, "I am delighted that the work went according to plan in spite of the poor weather conditions, safely, on time and the carriageway was reopened ahead of schedule.

"The bridge demolition and its subsequent replacement will help ensure that people, communities and businesses remain connected as part of the strategically important upgrading of the M3 motorway between junctions 2 and 4A that is nearing completion."

(LM/MH)