Launching of Leigh Road Bridge, Slough, UK

Leigh Road Bridge, a road-over-rail bridge crossing the Great Western route in Slough, UK, is believed to be only the second bridge in the country to have been launched across a railway using trailers. It is also one of the largest structures constructed by this method anywhere in the world. During the sliding stage of the launch a significant unforeseen incident occurred when the launch structure nose suddenly slid laterally, damaging some of the key temporary works. The project team worked collaboratively to restore the position and complete the launch without disruption to rail traffic and open the scheme to road traffic on time. Both the methodology and the successful realignment operation led to important conclusions and learning points for future launches of this type.