In just 15.5 hours the Highways Agency (now Highways England) and its contractors (Armac, the demolition company, and Costain-Carrillion JV, the main contractor), closed the M1 motorway in Bedfordshire, and prepared it for the demolition of the old A5120 road bridge, built in 1959. Demolition kicked off at 2115 on the Saturday night (30 June 2012), with the hydraulic breakers making short work of the concrete and steel structure. The M1 was fully re-opened from 1130 the following morning – 30 minutes ahead of schedule.
The bridge was demolished as part of the improvements at junction 12 (Toddington/Dunstable), being delivered within the M1 J10 to J13 managed motorway scheme.
