Forder Valley Link Road Update

December 2020

We’re working with main contractor Balfour Beatty on the new Forder Valley Link Road, Plymouth. One of Plymouth’s biggest ever infrastructure schemes, this one-kilometre road will be a key link between the A38 and the north of the city, where new homes and businesses are planned as Plymouth grows. The Ainsworth Civils remit includes the new road bridge across Bircham Valley, two retaining walls and a culvert.

The supports for the abutments at each end of the bridge and piers for the new bridge are becoming much more visible now. The new bridge deck, which will carry the three-lane carriageway, footway and cycleway, will be constructed in four sections, with each section seven beams wide. Each beam, the first of which is due to be installed in the spring of 2021, will be 32 metres long and weigh in at 105 tonnes.

There will be no expansion joints or bearings between the sections on the bridge, therefore requiring much less maintenance and providing a more comfortable and smoother ride for those that use it. It will also mean less disruption to motorists.