Lune Ford Footbridge
Overview
Lune Ford Footbridge, near Tebay, is a 30m four span steel beam bridge with timber deck, steel parapets, piers and steps. The steel piers are founded on concrete pads, with the bottom halves cast into concrete that is faced with masonry. The project was for the refurbishment and strengthening of the bridge. The steelwork was suffering from localised corrosion and the bridge painting system had failed in numerous places.
The scheme involved replacing the staircase and the carrying out of steelwork repairs and repainting the bridge to restore it to its original condition in accordance with the Manual of Contract Documents for Highway Works (MCHW) current specifications.
The works required the installation of supplementary torsional restraints to increase the capacity of the beams by increasing their resistance to lateral torsional buckling.
EWCE was responsible for the design, supply, erection, maintenance and removal of the temporary platforms necessary to access each element of each structure.
Encapsulating the bridge was required to prevent materials entering the watercourse and the temporary structure not taking any support from the River Lune invert.
Our original plan was to undertake works in two halves. However, following full consultation with the Environment Agency, works were permitted to take place outside ‘in river working’ from one complete encapsulated scaffold arrangement reducing multiple visits and overall duration.
Temporary works design had to take note of existing environmental constraints of working in a major salmon river.
Key Challenges
Undertaking the works, through the autumn and winter, above the fast flowing and volatile River Lune with its population of migratory fish including salmon, brown trout, eels and coarse fish, and a population of the critically endangered white-water crayfish in a sensitive environmental location and protected landscape required care and continual monitoring.
All works followed the Environment Agency Preventing Pollution Guidance.
Added Value
Utilising our reccomended methodology ensured that the environment/ecology was not effected by the works.
Timber treads were re-used where possible, creating a saving to the client.