Gem Bridge At Grenofen 200-metre Long Cycle And Pedestrian Bridge Across The Walkham Valley Near Tavistock,Devon, UkUK Editorial Photo

The 45-metre main span, which was assembled on site by steel fabrication contractors Tema Engineering, was recently lifted into place with a 500 tonne mobile crane. The crane was positioned at the bottom of the valley with a 165 tonne counter weight to enable it to reach out 38 metres with the 35 tonne steel section and hold it in place while the fabricators tightened the 200 bolts required to secure it in place. Excavated material has been re-used to form a viewing area at Magpie Viaduct, 1km south of the site. A number of the large granite plinths from the original Brunel Viaduct, which was demolished in the 1960s, will also be re-used to form nearby picnic areas. The 24 metre high bridge will eventually connect Dartmoor National Park with Plymouth to complete one of the final missing links on Drake’s Trail. It will also form part of Cycle West’s “Vélodyssée” route, which is a 265 mile 440km cross-Channel cycle link stretching from Ilfracombe to Redon in Southern Brittany, via Okehampton, Tavistock and Plymouth