THE tallest pylon for the iconic new bridge has reached its highest point marking a major milestone for Mersey Gateway Project

The south pylon has been completed now peers 125 metres high over the River Mersey estuary.

The north pylon, to be finished in the next few days, will reach 110 metres while the central pylon will be 80 metres high when it is completed in November.

Having the two outer pylons taller than the central pylon will give Halton’s new bridge a unique look amongst other major bridges in the UK.

A specialist automatic climbing system is being used to construct the pylons.

This equipment builds one vertical five-metre section at a time then repeatedly ‘climbs’ upwards to create the next section until the structure is complete.

Construction teams have been hard at work completing 30 sections for the south pylon and 27 for the north pylon. Twenty-one sections will be built for the central pylon.

Almost enough concrete to fill an Olympic sized swimming pool was poured into the giant south pylon.

Gareth Stuart, Project Director at Merseylink, said: “Hitting the highest point on the project is a significant milestone.

“It’s a testament to the tenacity and expertise of our construction crews who have worked extremely hard, often in challenging conditions to get the job done.

“We’ll be holding a special site celebration to thank all of the teams involved.”

The next phase of work, which involves installing steel stay cables to connect the three bridge pylons to the main bridge deck, will begin in the next couple of weeks.

Halton’s six-lane river crossing is on schedule to open in autumn 2017