Aggregate Industries lightens the load for the Acton Swing Bridge

Aggregates Industries recently lightened the load for the 73m-long bow string truss Acton Swing Bridge in England. When opened in 1933, it was the first floating swing bridge in the UK – floating on a pontoon. The 84-year-old bridge, which is cared for by the Canal & River Trust charity, carries the busy A49 road over the River Weaver Navigation, in the county of Cheshire. A recent €1.7 million complete refurbishment included strengthening works to the underside of the bridge as well as improvements to its
October 2, 2018 Read time: 3 mins
Work in full swing on the Acton Swing Bridge
Aggregates Industries recently lightened the load for the 73m-long bow string truss Acton Swing Bridge in England. When opened in 1933, it was the first floating swing bridge in the UK – floating on a pontoon.


The 84-year-old bridge, which is cared for by the Canal & River Trust charity, carries the busy A49 road over the River Weaver Navigation, in the county of Cheshire. A recent €1.7 million complete refurbishment included strengthening works to the underside of the bridge as well as improvements to its appearance.

Core to the project’s success was the ability to enhance the bridge’s structural integrity to allow for heavier traffic. The challenge was to do this without an increase of mass – given the required 2.5m allowance for boats passing underneath.

As such, 2297 Aggregate Industries’ Lytag secondary aggregate - up to 50% lighter than normal weight aggregate - was chosen by lead contractor Kier Construction. By using Lytag to replace the infill with the framework, the weight was effectively reduced from 2,400kg/m³ to 1,650kg/m³. This gave increased flexibility and durability for Kier, while ensuring an increased overall strength. The approach also negated the need for quarried aggregate, helping to reduce material requirements and ensure efficiencies.

With works now complete, the contract saw Aggregate Industries supply 100tonnes of 0/14mm Lytag - a tailored blend of aggregates specifically designed to offer a greater reduction in concrete density.

The design freedom afforded by Lytag offers the same level of structural performance as normal weight concrete, explained Steve Curley, general manager for Lytag at Aggregate Industries.


“However, it is significantly lighter, thus reducing the dead load of a construction. In projects such as Acton Swing Bridge, where strengthening works need to be achieved without resulting in an increase to size or mass, this product can really make the otherwise infeasible achievable.”

The lightweight concrete has a density of 1,850kg/m³ using natural fines (normal weight concrete of 2,400 kg/m³). If fines are used in conjunction with the 4/14mm aggregate, the density can be as low as 1,650kg/m³.

Using Lytag within the design can not only reduce the thickness of the slab, columns and foundations but reduce the amount of rebar required, resulting in a quicker more cost-effective greener structure.

Aggregate Industries is a member of the Swiss global building materials provider LafargeHolcim Group.

Road Structures

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Advanced earthmovers now available
    May 10, 2018
    The excavator and wheeled loader segments represent massive sales volumes for manufacturers, so new model development is prioritised - Mike Woof writes. The crawler excavator segment accounts for a substantial portion of total sales of construction machines. With this in mind, it is no surprise that this is a market segment for which manufacturers prioritise a significant proportion of their research and development budgets. Wheeled loaders, while not selling in quite such large numbers as crawler excava
    Read More
  • Subaru’s launches ER12 Rammer Engine
    August 27, 2013
    Subaru’s new ER12 Rammer Engine is said to feature a carefully balanced and engineered design, and is exclusively intended for the demanding application of rammers. With specially-designed components and overhead cam (OHC) technology, the 3hp, four-stroke engine is lightweight, yet rugged and powerful. Weighing in at around 9.07kg, the ER12 is said to offer more power and up to 24% more output than similar competitive engines, all while being lighter in weight and designed for optimised balance and perfo
    Read More
  • Road repairs take to the air
    November 29, 2018
    Automated road repairs using 3D printing could save money and reduce disruption, reports Kristina Smith It’s the middle of the night and in the street below a team is busy carrying out repairs to the road surface. But there isn’t a human in sight. A road-repair drone has landed at the site of a crack and a 3D asphalt printer is now busy filling in that crack. A group of traffic cone drones have positioned themselves around the repair location to protect the repair drone and divert traffic around it.
    Read More
  • Mexico: underwater tunnel in Latin America
    May 8, 2015
    Mexico will benefit from an important new underwater tunnel - Mauro Nogarin writes. The city of Coatzacoalcos is located at the mouth of the river of the same name, in the Gulf of Mexico, 302km from the city of Salina Cruz, Oaxaca, in the east end of trans-isthmian corridor and at the southern end of Veracruz State. The city is seeing a key development as currently construction is 85% completed on the first immersed tube, underwater tunnel in Latin America. The reasons why experts chose this type of tunne
    Read More

Highlighted Content