Muckamore Railway Crossing Replacement Bridge and Access Improvements

This project is part of the overall programme to improve safety and User Worked Crossings throughout the NIR network, which involves the construction of a bridge over the railway and associated lane off the Belfast Road, Muckamore, as a means of alternative safe access.

This project will allow two existing User Worked Crossings to be closed, replaced by the provision of a new bridge carrying a proposed lane over the railway, providing safe access over the Belfast to Londonderry railway line to allow residents, agricultural landowners, and NI Water to access their lands/property.

The bridge is comprised of a precast prestressed concrete beam and in-situ concrete deck, supported on bridge abutments comprising an in-situ reinforced concrete capping beam, sleeved in-situ reinforced concrete columns, and in-situ reinforced concrete pad foundations. Reinforced earth walls will also be provided at each abutment to retain the proposed lane/embankments.

 Progress to date

• Ecological sensitive areas have had protection fencing erected to create exclusion zones.
• Bridge foundations have been shuttered and poured.
• Bridge abutments support columns have been shuttered and poured.
• Bridge abutments have been shuttered and poured.
• Footprint of the concrete lane has been stripped of topsoil, aggregates have been laid and compacted, with >200m of the lane now completed with concrete surfacing.
• A Crane pad has been installed and tested ahead of precast bridge beam installation.
• Reinforced earth embankments North of the railway have been created.
• Embankments South of the railway are approximately 90% complete.
• Precast Bridge beams have been installed, placed by use of 650t mobile crane .
• Reinforcement steel for the bridge deck has been tied ready for the readymix concrete to be poured 23^rd