The arrival of three barges to the Mersey estuary marks a new stage in the development of the Mersey Gateway Bridge; a project undertaken by FCC.

The naval resources, which comprise the 410 ft Harry McGill tower crane barge, were transported in convoy from the Liverpool Docks to Widnes, where the bridge is located.

The barges will be temporarily used for the construction of pile caps which will allow work to begin on the construction of three pylons which shape the main part of the 1000 m long cable-stayed bridge.

The work involves drilling steel sheet piles into the riverbed to create two circular enclosed spaces (called 'cofferdams'): an outer circle of 40 m in diameter and an inner circle of 21 m in diameter. Approximately 300 steel piles will be used for each circular space: around 200 for the outer circle and 100 for the inner circle.

Once constructed, water will be pumped out to the outer area and a dry environment will be created. This will grant the workers access to the site and allow them to start the necessary excavation and construction works. The construction of each cofferdam will have a time frame of 50 days. These will be visible in the river for the duration of the construction project, estimated to last 3 years and 6 months, and will be removed when the work is finished.

The economic, transport and social benefits that the Mersey Gateway Project will bring include:

• 470 full-time jobs on site during construction.
• 4,640 direct and indirect jobs.
• £61.9 million a year in Gross Value Added from the new jobs by 2030.

When the bridge is completed in 2017, the new bridge and the Silver Jubilee Bridge will be subject to tolls, however, they will be totally free for residents of the area.