Tram bridges finally fall into place

Beam installation for the last two bridges came to an end when the remaining spans were put in place at the Water of Leith Bridge, near to Murrayfield Stadium, and at the South Gyle access bridge over the South Gyle access road.

That means all 12 bridges now have their beams in place, with the rest of the work on the bridges due to be completed by the end of the year.

City transport convener Lesley Hinds said: “The pace of construction is now gaining real momentum and people are starting to see visible progress along the length of the route.

“While work on these two bridges will continue in the weeks ahead we are now in a position where the basic structures have been put in place.

“I would like to thank local communities affected by the construction process for their continued patience.”

Ahead of the work, which took place overnight during the last two weekends, residents were warned they could be disturbed by the noise.

Contractors had to work during night-time hours because the sites were so close to the rail tracks that no work could be carried out while trains were running.

In a letter to residents, tram officials said: “We would like to express our sincere apologies for any inconvenience caused and would like to assure you that every effort will be made to minimise any disruption to local residents and businesses.”

Along the 14km route, the 12 bridges on the off-road stretch have a combined length of 
566 metres.

The biggest is the Edinburgh Park Station bridge which is 232 metres long and ten metres wide, followed by the Water of Leith Bridge at 63 metres long and ten metres wide and the Haymarket viaduct at 55 metres long and 13 metres wide.

The other bridges are: South Gyle access bridge (43 metres long, ten metres wide); Roseburn Street bridge (34 metres long, 11 metres wide; Carrick Knowe bridge (32 metres long, 12 metres wide); depot access bridge (28 metres long, 20 metres wide); Balgreen Road bridge (25 metres long, nine metres wide); Gogarburn bridge (17 metres long, ten metres wide); Russell Road bridge (16 metres long, 20 metres wide); Haymarket depot access bridge (12 metres long, ten metres wide); and Balgreen Road Network Rail access bridge (nine metres long, four metres wide).