TPA installation crews have commenced extensive works on its supply of portable access systems at Dutton Viaduct next to the River Weaver in Merseyside.
This £170K TPA contract under Birse Rail is due for completion by the 6th May 2012 and includes the supply of 1,041 heavy duty aluminium panels, a 25m temporary bailey bridge and a portable pontoon capable of ferrying some 50 tonnes.
Dutton Viaduct is a railway viaduct on the West Coast Main Line where it crosses the River Weaver and the Weaver Navigation between the villages of Dutton and Acton Bridge in Cheshire.
It was built during 1836 and was completed on 9 December. It was the longest viaduct on the Grand Junction Railway.
This £1.2m Network Rail contract awarded to Birse Rail is to provide refurbishment of the viaduct and preserve the security of ornate dental stones and paint the existing hand railings.
TPA has provided a high volume of its heavy duty aluminium portable roadway panels throughout the site to form access roads and working platforms for plant and machinery. Due to the narrow and confined single access road to site, various logistical constraints had to be overcome including the transporting of TPA’s 1,041 panels which had to be taken onto site in batches of 25 via 3 wagons.
The 25m temporary bridge had to be delivered into site via 6 wheel lorries due to the single access road being too small to allow room for manoeuvre of arctic sized lorries.
The pontoon as supplied by Red7 was craned via its individual components into the water by Baldwins Cranes and constructed some 1.5miles and 1 lock away from the Viaduct itself.
The river access banks had to be dug-out to allow for TPA’s crew & wagon along with the required plant and machinery to be loaded safely onto the floating pontoon.
‘Bridging the gap’ – TPA’s Heavy Duty Aluminium Panels were laid over the void between land and pontoon to form a solid foundation for the loading of TPA’s 17 tonne wagon and 10 tonne excavator which made the virgin voyage across the river weaver.
The point-load of TPA’s 17 tonne wagon driving onto the pontoon was controlled via the installation of TPA’s multi layered heavy duty aluminium panel system, in this particular instance TPA’s HD panels were laid in ramp form.
Red7’s technical installation and skipper crew constructed the large scale pontoon via the joining of 20 individual floats which are each rated to carry 2.5tonne. Once these were securely connected together they formed a pontoon capable of carrying 50tonne of gross weight.
Once all vehicles, plant & machinery were safely and securely loaded onto the pontoon, TPA set sail.
The excavator was loaded at the rear of the loaded convoy in order for it to begin the digging out of the bank on docking at the other side.
‘Swiftly & Safely Docked’ – Cargo & Crew then commenced with the digging-out of the 2nd river bank for TPA’s heavy duty panels to pave the way forward to project completion…
