Sandhurst breaker takes down M1 bridge

UK rental firm Sandhurst Equipment Rental helped Armac Demolition Ltd, acting on behalf of main contractor Costain, to demolish a bridge overnight on the M1 at Toddington.

Both M1 carriageways had to be closed during the demolition process, so speed was of the essence. Sandhurst supplied a 5,800 kg (12,760 lb) breaker from its West Midlands depot. The Atlas Copco HB5800 supplied the main muscle for the 16-hour job, which required a total of 11 excavators of various sizes.

The HB5800, suitable for carriers over 50 tonnes, was attached to one of Armac’s uprated long reach Cat 345CLs fitted with a standard boom.

The bridge weighed 1,400 tonnes and had been unused since May 2012 after the opening of a new replacement. For this project, the old structure had to be removed to make way for new slip roads at junction 12, as part of a motorway improvement scheme between junctions 10 and 13.