After a significant part of Cleghorn bridge collapsed into the river below, South Lanarkshire Council appointed Covanburn to carry out emergency works.
The collapse had left the bridge – which sits over the Mouse Water in the village of Lanark – unstable, and so it became urgent to conduct the repairs as quickly as possible without compromising safety.
Investigations revealed that the barrel section of the bridge was found to be in poor condition due to the significant amount of missing voussoirs and a longitudinal crack observed at the northern end of the arch barrel.
Our significant experience meant we were well equipped to handle the scale and urgency of the required works. Our Structures Team worked with South Lanarkshire Council to find a speedy and permanent solution to restore the structural integrity of the bridge. This involved temporary propping and installation of wooden formwork to the remaining arch/voussoir.
The works included:
These works felt like a race against time. It was important to address the problem quickly and find solutions. We established a temporary works design for safe access to the structure, which meant restricted access for the delivery of plant and materials. It was then essential that we create strict delivery timetables and have solid coordination between operatives and suppliers to ensure safe and effective delivery of items to site. Our schedule had to be tight and it had to be effective.
Our planning and design was ultimately a huge success and we completed the repair and strengthening of the bridge on time, within budget and made it safer than ever before.