Skanska, working on behalf of National Highways, has completed a key milestone in the A428 Black Cat to Caxton Gibbet improvement scheme with the successful demolition of the old Roxton Road Bridge.

This marks the final demolition activity on the major upgrade project, paving the way for the completion of the new Roxton Road link.

The former Roxton Road Bridge, which spanned the existing A421 and connected nearby villages to the Black Cat roundabout, has now been replaced by a modern structure designed to meet the demands of the new junction layout. The replacement bridge, opened to traffic earlier this month, can handle significantly heavier loads, supporting traffic from local businesses that previously accessed the A1 directly.

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The original bridge posed multiple constraints: it lacked the necessary clearance for the elevated A421 near the new flyover and did not allow space for the newly designed slip roads, including the free-flow link from the A421 to the A1.

Demolition was carried out by Skanska's subcontractor Armac, using six excavators in a carefully staged process. The bridge deck was dismantled from the centre outward, with steel beams cut and safely dropped onto crash matting. Two 60-tonne excavators then removed the beams from the carriageway, where they were segmented for transport.

Piers and abutments were also removed, and in line with the project’s sustainability goals, all concrete from the demolition will be crushed and reused on site for haul roads and temporary work platforms.