M62 Bridge

Murphy was contracted by Network Rail to carry out the replacement of a 2,000-tonne rail bridge over the busy M62.

Thanks to our self-delivery model and in-house teams, Murphy was able to provide an end-to-end service covering the demolition of the old bridge along with the fabrication and installation of the new structure.

The 40m long, 450t bridge was fabricated by our specialist steel fabrication team at our state-of-the-art fabrication workshop in Newbridge, Co Kildare and travelled over 200 miles by land and sea to site.

Engineers excavated over 50,000 tonnes of earth to create a safe and bespoke worksite next to the busy motorway to assemble the new bridge. Over two weekends in September, the M62 – which carries around 120,000 vehicles per day, was closed with the help of National Highways, and the 100+ strong team worked around the clock to remove the old bridge and install the new structure using a self-propelled modular transporter.

The bridge was placed precisely onto the new cast in-situ cill beams over the central pier and abutments by our Transportation team. The new bridge is expected to last 120 years and will never need painting due to its weathering steel design. Following successful landing of the bridge, the team then renewed the track to ensure safe and efficient operation of the rail and highway network for future users.