10 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 19-26.08.10 | www.nce.co.uk NEWS

STRUCTURES Calva reaches critical stage

Southern pier is salvaged, giving hope for future of the damaged bridge.

By Jackie Whitelaw

Engineers have completed a crit- ical operation to salvage the Balancing act: Temporary piers, left, southern central pier of the Work- supported the bridge repairs, above ington “Calva” bridge and bring it one step closer to long term Workington bridge became its upstream side, forcing uneven from the temporary piers. The survival. the high profile symbol of the distribution of the 1,000t dead temporary piers were removed The final concrete pour to has Cumbria floods of November load imposed on it. before site workers completed the been completed and last week 2009. TV cameras camped on The repair involved building final pour of 4m3. contractors moved on to the the banks of the river Derwent a gravel causeway out to the pier “We had hoped to do just one bridge to begin stripping off the waiting for the bridge to collapse and then two temporary piers pour but once we’d created a deck to further check the integrity after its southern central pier was were positioned on the damaged cofferdam round the pier and of the structure. severely damaged. side. Jacks lifted the bridge up pumped the water out there was “As we progress this work At the time, the bridge was and transferred 300t of the load a huge hole that the river had confidence is rising that we can condemned but it stayed standing to the temporary piers to give the scoured out,” said Dean. “So we repair the bridge,” said Connect and results from subsequent damaged pier some respite. had to change the work method.” Roads regional manager Andy structural analysis by the Balfour Connect Roads built up the Spring tides and heavy rain Dean. “We are on the positive Beatty/Mouchel joint venture flood hit pier in three pours. The delayed work by two weeks. side of 50:50 that the bridge can Scotland Transerv prompted first of 49m3 filled in the scour “If all goes well we will know be saved. We will know for sure by Connect Roads to opt to attempt hole and created a foundation 100% if the bridge can be saved by the end of September.” to repair the structure rather than for the second pour of 24m3. This the end of September and it could Connect Roads is the Balfour knock it down and build another included installation of 11 perma- come back into service by early Beatty-led highway maintenance one (NCE 15 April). nent jacks loaded to an aggre- November. A replacement bridge and construction firm that is The floods had caused the foun- gated upthrust of 540t, which would have taken two years to responsible for the bridge. dations of the pier to be eroded on then took the weight of the bridge build,” Dean added.

six months of 2010, which £27.3M in the six months ment and cost consultant showed a 3% revenue increase to 30 June compared with Davis Langdon for $324M at £5.2bn from £5.1bn for the £40M in the same period (£204M). Davis Langdon same period last year and a last year. However, its con- had a turnover of £270M briefs 32% rise in pre-tax profit at struction business total oper- last year and made a pre-tax £141M. ating profit rose from £18.1M profit of £34M, according to to £23.5M in the UK and NCE’s Consultant’s File 2010. COSTAIN/LAING JV Middle East. “Davis Langdon’s strong cost WINS BOND STREET and project management Transport for London (TfL) SCOTT WILSON capabilities bolster our grow- has awarded a Costain/Laing TAKEOVER ON TRACK ing portfolio of construction O’Rourke joint venture the URS Corporation’s takeover of management services,” BALFOUR BEATTY WINS £300M redevelopment of Scott Wilson remains on track said Aecom chief executive HEATHROW CONTRACT Bond Street station. The JV after more than 99% of share- John Dionisio. Balfour Beatty has signed a beat off competition from holders voted in favour of the £460M contract to deliver Balfour Beatty and a Taylor move. The takeover is expect- MACE BOOSTS PROFIT the second phase of a sat- Woodrow/Bam Nuttall JV. ed to complete next month. BY 30% ellite building to support Mace increased its turnover Heathrow airport’s new INTERSERVE PROFITS AECOM BUYS DAVIS by 18% to £726M and profit terminal – T2b. The firm DROP £27.3M LANGDON FOR £204M by 30% to £19.3M, accord- made the announcement as it Interserve last week reported Global consultant Aecom ing to its annual report. revealed results for the first that profits had fallen to has bought project manage- Analysis of income at the