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The structure
Gumley Road Bridge is listed red brick structure with a single span of 6.7 metres and a width of 4.9 metres between its parapet walls. It was built to carry road traffic over the Grand Union Canal without impediment
to boat traffic below. It had a weight restriction of 17 tonnes.
The problem
Working in conjunction with British Waterways, Leicestershire City Council required the bridge to be strengthened to carry the 40/44 tonne Assessment Live Loading. With both the bridge and waterway in continual use,
it was imperative to keep disruption to a minimum.
The solution
In total, twenty six stainless steel 25mm diameter cintec anchors were installed from the road surface. All were between 2.9 and 3.1 metres in length. For the duration of the project regular vehicular traffic was
diverted over another bridge, however it remained open to emergency vehicles, cycles and horses. Boat traffic below remained completely unaffected. Possession of the bridge was originally given over to Archtec for three weeks, significantly,
Cintec’s drilling and installation contractors APB of Stoke, actually completed the work in only ten days and so brought back into full service far ahead of the time the council had allocated.
Checking for sub-surface
services during bridge survey |
Temporary below arch protection
during the installation process |
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