Richter provide temporary works solutions to bridge along the Cumbria coast line.
Published: 14/03/2022 13:23 - Updated: 29/03/2022 - 09:51
Ropery bridge carries the Cumbria Coast line between Carlisle and Barrow-in-Furness over a pedestrian underpass, providing a link from the village of Harrington to coastal footpaths.
The team at Richter were called upon to act in their capacity as Supply Chain Partner to Story Contracting to provide temporary works solutions for its replacement.
The existing structure, spanning 7.1m and consisting of four trough girders carrying long timbers (plus an additional four disused), intended to be removed due to its poor condition and replaced with twin steel U-decks capable of carrying the anticipated increased loads.
Richter's engineers engaged with the project team from an early stage, working in collaboration with the client and other parties to facilitate the replacement and accommodate design changes that were raised as the project developed. Designs were produced with ease of installation as a key aim, due to the limited possession window available to complete the works.
The client had chosen to lift out the bridge using a 450Te mobile crane. Richter delivered the design for a granular platform capable of supporting the outrigger loads onto the existing subgrade, utilising ground investigation (GI) information to ensure that this was done safely without the need for excessive material use.
A solution was provided to enable the trough girders to be lifted out as braced pairs, reducing the number of lifts, this included taking into account the skewed orientation of the underpass.
Furthermore, Richters’ design providing temporary support and protection for the signalling cables across the bridge, eliminated the need for disconnection, reinstatement and commissioning during the core works.
Above: example of works at Ropery Bridge as a 3D project model, produced by Richter's engineers forming part of the sequence of works.