Mabey propped up damaged bridge in rapid time to reopen road in Llangefni
Last October leading bridge and engineering services specialist Mabey worked with Alun Griffiths to provide a bespoke propping solution to support a bridge which was severely damaged following a lorry becoming wedged underneath it.
The solution held up the bridge while the vehicle was removed, then enabling the bridge to be fully dismantled and transported off for further investigation. Thanks to Mabey’s rapid response, the road was re-opened just three days after the significant collision.
The truck was driven along the A5114 Glanhwfa Road in Llangefni when it became wedged underneath the unused railway bridge, dislodging one of the support bearings from the abutment shelf. Thankfully, no one was hurt.
Responding to a call from local civil engineering and construction contractor Alun Griffiths at 11pm that evening, Mabey’s team of engineers were on site first thing the following morning to assess the requirements and design a bespoke propping scheme.
The team worked tirelessly over the weekend to pre-assemble and then install Mabey’s Mass 25 propping system which is capable of supporting loads of up to 250kN on a single leg.
One corner of the bridge was supported while Alun Griffiths utilised a crane to lift the adjacent corner of the bridge, allowing the vehicle to be removed from underneath. Once the vehicle had been removed, a Mass 25 support tower was introduced to support the main bridge girder and the crane used to set the bridge back down onto the support tower. A second crane was then introduced to facilitate a tandem lift to extract the bridge and set it down onto an awaiting vehicle. By Sunday evening, the bridge was transported and stored in a depot and the road was re-opened the following morning.
Steve Richardson, Contract Manager, Alun Griffiths, said: “Having worked with Mabey on several projects in the past, we knew they would be able to provide the equipment, experience and expertise needed in rapid time. The tireless efforts of those involved enabled us to support and consequently remove the bridge safely and efficiently and get Glanhwfa Road back up and running in just three days.”
Gordon McDonald, CEO, Mabey Hire, comments, “This project is a prime example of our growing rapid response expertise, working with contractors to deliver an effective temporary solution in a tight time-frame. Thanks to our local knowledge and depots, we were able to install the propping system in just one day, helping Alun Griffiths and Network Rail minimise the damage caused and limit the time the road was closed for.”
