Jamestown supplied steel beams for new bridges on an important road improvement project in south-west England.

A Notorious Bottleneck

For a long time, the A30 route to Cornwall had been a notorious bottleneck for holidaymakers on their journey to the Cornish coast, as well as being the main route for freight in the region.  Kier Construction was awarded the contract to transform them.

section of single carriageway between Temple and Higher Carblake into a four-lane dual carriageway.

Three New Bridges

The new section required three bridges; those at Temple Tor and Cardinham feature a central pier and abutments, while the slightly shorter and lighter bridge at Preeze Cross is single-span.   The bridge decks feature a steel frame with precast concrete planks.  The decks were prefabricated offsite before being lifted into position.

The bridges proved to be complicated projects because of geological issues, and because the limited extra land was available; most of the scheme needed to be constructed within its own footprint.  At the same time, this busy artery needed to be kept open for traffic.

Boost for the Cornish Economy

The new four-lane road opened to traffic on July 14, 2017.  Completion of the project is expected to bring £134 million into the Cornish economy, playing an important part in the Duchy’s future prosperity.

Council leader John Pollard said:

“The dualling of this 5km stretch of road will play a vital role in reducing delays on the A30, which currently cost over £10m a year in lost time alone. It will also play an important role in the future prosperity of Cornwall by encouraging economic growth, aiding regeneration and business expansion and supporting tourism.”