Gap bridge work ahead of schedule

About 44,000 vehicles use the current road every day

Engineers working on a stage of a £175m project to upgrade a major road link between England and Scotland are eight weeks ahead of schedule.

Work involves upgrading a 5.8-mile stretch of the A74 between Carlisle and Guards Mill, known as the Cumberland Gap, to a motorway to ease congestion.

On Wednesday cranes will lift a 180-metre long, 800-tonne bridge over the River Esk eight weeks early.

Last year the government approved the scheme after a public inquiry.

Meanwhile, on 20 May engineers will start craning into position the first of 136, 35-tonne beams to build the new Mossband viaduct that will carry the new road over the West Coast Railway Line.

The work will be carried out overnight at weekends for 17 weeks.

'Challenging job'

The new viaduct will be 160 metres long and run at an angle across the railway line.

John Hornagold, Highways Agency project team leader, said: "Work on the new road is going extremely well and we are on course to finish on time in winter 2008 - we are about ahead eight weeks ahead of schedule.

"There are two major milestones to celebrate - installing the bridge and starting work on the viaduct.

"Building the viaduct is a challenging job as it is close to a live railway line, and its creation will be a tribute to the skills of the engineers."

The A74 is the main westerly route between England and Scotland and is used by more than 44,000 vehicles a day.