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

  • Latest bitumen mixes improve roads, reduce noise
    February 14, 2012
    Special bitumen mixes and machines are capable of improving the service life of roads and reducing noise. Mike Woof and Patrick Smith report. The need to improve traffic flow in an important part of the City of Poznan, Poland, led to the decision to build a new 1.13km long dual carriageway.
    Read More
  • UK Highways Agency unveils additional spending plans
    April 12, 2013
    In the UKL the Highways Agency has announced plans for an additional 58 schemes intended to boost the economy, reduce congestion and improve safety. These schemes form part of the third, and final, stage of the Highways Agency’s pinch point programme. The 58 schemes represent an investment of €114.6 million (£98 million) and are intended to remove bottlenecks and keep traffic moving on England’s motorways and major A roads. They will be delivered by March 2015 and will bring an estimated €1.64 billion (£1.4
    Read More
  • Poor marks for UK's white lines
    April 23, 2012
    The UK’s road markings are said to be vanishing rapidly, according to a new survey by a leading highways organisation. A snapshot survey of nearly 500 miles by the Road Safety Markings Association (RMSA) revealed that well over half of white lines in Scotland and Wales are almost non-existent, and England’s fare little better. On average, the RSMA survey found that 50.6% of the UK’s surveyed road markings are barely visible. And almost a quarter (23%) of roads are classified as needing ‘emergency repa
    Read More
  • Major Necaxa-Tihuatlan Highway project for Mexico
    October 1, 2014
    A new highway in Mexico is connecting Necaxa with Tihuatlan and the project features challenging terrain - Mauro Nogarin reports In Mexico a landmark highway project is now close to completion, having set a number of records for Latin America.
    Read More

Highlighted Content