Bridge improvements reduce flood threat

The impact of the new Eden Bridge over the River Eden on its flood plain is a key issue to the construction of the Carlisle Northern Development Route (CNDR).
February 16, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
A corrugated steel system from Tubosider UK was used for the culverts
The impact of the new Eden Bridge over the River Eden on its flood plain is a key issue to the construction of the Carlisle Northern Development Route (CNDR). The new 8.25km road is being built west of the city following the flooding of Carlisle in north-west England in 2005, and increased flood risk generally, The local study carried out by the 2759 Environment Agency in the wake of the 2005 floods recommended lowering the flood bank downstream by 1m and removing an old railway embankment to mitigate the future threat to Carlisle but placing added importance on the Eden plain's topography.

As a result of the flood modelling work carried out by 2762 Capita Symonds, the technical adviser managing the project for Cumbria County Council, the plan for the new bridge's northern embankment called for a series of culverts with a combined cross section of 160m².

Although the illustrative drawing featured a concrete hatched structure, design engineers Scott Wilson recommended the greater practicality and easier installation of a corrugated steel system as manufactured by 2580 Tubosider UK, also the providers of the most economical solution.

"Tubosider's bolted plate is 2309 Highways Agency-approved, sufficient to gain approval, and using its detailed plans for assembling each prefabricated component, all 15 culverts are now in place. The final solution was for ten large diameter structures of 6mm thickness and then five smaller ones of 4mm, all ranging in span from 3.32-4.46m.

It's a system 1486 Birse Civils has often used before," said design manager Bob Gibson of Birse Civils, contractors for the design and construction of the new road.

Due to open in early 2012, the CNDR will run from the A595 to M6 Junction 44 and is a £176 million (e200 million) public private partnership (PPP) concession contract run for Cumbria County Council by 1146 Balfour Beatty through its wholly-owned subsidiary Connect Roads. It will take traffic away from Carlisle centre and improve links between west Cumbria, Scotland and the north-east of England. As winning bidder, Balfour Beatty also takes control of 150km of existing road network and will maintain this for a period of 30 years.
Road Structures

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Bridge engineering worldwide
    July 1, 2013
    Guy Woodford looks at vital bridge construction, repair and inspection projects in China, Europe, North America and Australia The Heron Road Bridge in Ottawa, Ontario in Canada is a vital link within the City’s transport network, as it crosses the Rideau River, which divides the east and west parts of the City. Constructed in 1966-1967, the Heron Road Bridge is approximately 275m long and includes six lanes.
    Read More
  • Developments in noise-reducing road surfaces
    February 17, 2012
    Mixtures with special additives are being produced for roads, offering noise reduction and aiding recycling. Patrick Smith reports. Noise-reducing road surfacings have been used in motorway construction for some time. But relatively new are noise-optimised surfacings used on roads in towns that do not follow a standard concept.Road trials with these materials have taken place in Germany since 2007 and have been prioritised due to the European Union Guidelines on the Assessment and Management of Environmenta
    Read More
  • Major project to construct landmark Bay Bridge in California
    October 31, 2012
    Iconic California crossing will offer seismic safety – Adrian Greeman reports A unique single-span single-tower suspension bridge is the iconic centrepiece of a dramatic renewal of the eastern Bay Bridge in California, crossing from San Francisco to Oakland. Tourists in San Francisco sometimes mix up their bridges, identifying as the famous Golden Gate, the double suspension bridge which runs across the wide San Francisco Bay. These serially linked bridges in fact form the Bay Bridge east to Oakland whereas
    Read More
  • Kazakhstan’s London road show woos consortia for Almaty ring road
    March 2, 2015
    Kazak and EBRD officials visited London to highlight the possibility of a public-private partnership under the country’s revised PPP legal framework. David Arminas reports. To build a road, you go on the road, and that is what Kazakhstan did in London in mid-December. Representatives of more than 100 organisations, a mix of construction companies and financial institutions, attended the roadshow-style presentation to attract foreign capital for BAKAD, the Almaty Ring Road Concession. The message was that Ka
    Read More

Highlighted Content