CURRALL LEWIS & MARTIN CONSTRUCTION   : :   SPECIAL PROJECTS

Dudley Bridge Demolition

The existing steel structure formerly carried a mineral rail track over the Birmingham New Road dual carriageway in a single span. It had been out of use for some years and needed to be removed. The Birmingham New Road is a vital route from Wolverhampton to Dudley and Birmingham, and therefore the work had to be completed with the least possible disruption. A programme was set to complete the superstructure demolition, partial demolition of one abutment and reduction of the adjacent embankment over three weekends, under a full road closure. Complete of the required sections of work was accomplished in just two weekends, with the remaining work completed safely away from traffic flows.

Victoria Bridge - West Extension Reconstruction

Victoria Bridge – situated in the heart of the busy town of Leamington Spa. Few Grade II listed bridges also carry another listed building on top! Special temporary works were designed to support the Colonnade balcony over the complex geometry of the third span of the 1846 bridge extension. The project involved the careful dismantling, marking and storage of the ornate stone parapets prior to removal of the cast iron beam and jack arch deck. Tailor made steel edge beams were fabricated to replicate the old cast iron beams. Floating river platforms to provide access were approved by the Environment Agency, and enabled completion of the project six weeks early. Final pavement surfacing constructed in York stone to blend with the area with the bridge serves.

St Andrews Church - River Bank Retaining Wall

The village church at Ashford Bowdler was in danger of falling into the River Teme which had been slowly changing its course and undermining the main building. The design solution was to construct a retaining wall below the overhanging building, which was anchored back to reinforced concrete blocks set 20 metres to the rear of the river bank and connected with 32mm dia steel tie bars via bored ducts to prevent disturbance to the burial area. Services continued throughout the work.

Footbridge 35 Superstructure Refurbishment

The footbridge carried a public footpath over the Shrewsbury to Crewe railway line, was of unusual wrought iron construction, about 100 years old and was a Grade II listed structure. The total length of the structure was 60 metres, with a centre span of 36 metres. Initially, it was planned to carry out the refurbishment in situ, but on commencement of the work it became necessary to completely dismantle the existing structure for inspection. After grit blasting to remove all coatings the full extent of the repairs required was assessed, reveling the need to replace many of the component parts. Following completion, the work was awarded an Historic Bridge Award in 2001 by the Institution of Civil Engineers.