Harsco goes Forth

Harsco Infrastructure (HI) is providing bespoke scaffolding for a major refurbishment project being carried out on the famous Forth Road Bridge in Scotland. The £710,000 contract is seeing HI scaffolding used to allow work to be carried out to replace the large bearings which support each end of the structure, with no disruption to traffic using the bridge.
June 25, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
1483 Harsco Infrastructure (HI) is providing bespoke scaffolding for a major refurbishment project being carried out on the famous Forth Road Bridge in Scotland.

The £710,000 contract is seeing HI scaffolding used to allow work to be carried out to replace the large bearings which support each end of the structure, with no disruption to traffic using the bridge.

HI was said to have been chosen by 1146 Balfour Beatty on the basis of its competitive tendering, and the fact that the two companies have worked together on a large number of previous successful projects.

“Despite its size we wanted to ensure we did not over-complicate the project,” said Harsco sales director Tony Knight. “Although we frequently design and produce new products to satisfy individual project requirements, this contract demonstrates our ability to design and construct a bespoke solution for a complex project, primarily using standard products from our range.”

The Forth Road Bridge spans the Firth of Forth and connects Edinburgh with Fife. While its centre section is suspended from cables, the approach sections which link this to either side of the Firth rest on large bearings that sit on top of concrete piers. These bearings allow the approach decks to move in response to traffic loading and temperature changes, and it is these that are being replaced.

“This involves the workforce having access to some of the more remote areas of the bridge structure and so our aim was to create a solution which would provide this, whilst still ensuring complete safety,” added Knight.

The Bridge refurbishment work is expected to be completed this summer.
Road Structures

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Engineering the Saadiyat Expressway
    February 24, 2012
    A new bridge, said to be the largest in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in terms of area, is being constructed as part of a major highway project. The US$550 million Saadiyat Expressway project, which involves Leighton Construction (Abu Dhabi), related to one of Australia's largest contracting groups, in constructing a ten-lane, 6.5km long highway to link the UAE's main city, with an exclusive island lying just offshore.
    Read More
  • 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
  • Tunnels - an environmentally attractive option?
    February 21, 2012
    While tunnels are often more expensive than bridges, they can offer environmentally attractive options for transport schemes. Tunnels offer environmentally attractive options for a range of transport infrastructure schemes, but in many cases high construction costs may restrict their use.
    Read More
  • Dutch road widening benefits from 3D software
    February 24, 2012
    Modern software is stretching traditional design boundaries on a motorway widening in the Netherlands, reports Adrian Greeman There was a time when civil engineering and aesthetics did not mix too well, especially on roads. The artistic ideas of an architect did not blend with the stringent requirements of structure. But modern three-dimensional modelling software is helping this change. Design notions that might have been overly complicated in the past are now attainable with hi-tech analysis tools.
    Read More

Highlighted Content