We are pleased to announce our success in securing a contract for the design, supply and installation of the propping and jacking works on the next phase of the Palatine Road Viaduct project. Our innovative monitoring solutions will also be utilised, providing project engineers with information about any structural changes in real-time, giving them the ability to react quickly, safely and efficiently.
Located on one of the M60’s major routes, near both Manchester Airport and the intu Trafford Centre, the Palatine Road Viaduct is said to carry over 80,000 vehicles every day. Following a routine inspection, it was concluded that a number of the concrete pier crossheads, which support the bridge, were under stress and required repair and strengthening works.
We were previously contracted to design, fabricate and install a solution to prop up the bridge structure, as well as monitor it for any structural changes while repairs to two of the fifteen concrete piers were carried out.
Following the success of the project’s first phase, we have now secured a further contract to similarly design, fabricate and supply the required temporary propping works for the next four piers of the bridge’s supportive structure.
A combination of our innovative short-term and long-term live monitoring solutions will be used once again on the project, allowing the project teams to constantly monitor the bridge’s structural movement during both the initial jacking up of the structure and throughout the duration of the works. All information recorded is uploaded to our Insite portal, where it can be monitored and any discrepancies swiftly actioned and remedied, ensuring the safe and smooth delivery of the temporary works and concrete pier repairs, without the need for the road to be closed.
Gordon MacDonald, CEO at Mabey Hire commented: "Following the success of our previous involvement on the Palatine Road Viaduct project, we are delighted to have been chosen to supply the temporary propping and monitoring works for the next phase. It’s really great to be working once again on a piece of vital infrastructure in this booming city."
Talking about the improvement works, Mark Mosely, project manager at Highways England, said: "The bridge over the Mersey has been there since the motorway first opened in 1974 as part of what was then the M63, and it’s beginning to show its age. We’ll be using teams of specialists to lift up the motorway by a few millimetres and then carry out concrete repairs to the bridge columns, allowing us to keep the road open to drivers throughout the project. The repairs will help keep the bridge safe for decades to come, so tens of thousands of drivers can continue to use it every day on a key route across the Mersey."
The temporary propping and monitoring works are underway, expected to be completed in September 2020.
