LOCATION:
A £4m contract for the construction of a replacement single span bridge, realignment of the A35 and demolition of the original bridge.
Lifting in the steel beams to support the bridge deck.
Concrete bridge deck illustrating revised A35 alignment.
These works replaced the 113 year old bridge on the A35 crossing the C10 Burley to Sway/Brockenhurst Road and realigned 380 metres of the A35 through the New Forest.
- Woodland clearance to enable reprofiling of embankments.
- Construction of a precast single span concrete bridge.
- Realignment of the A35.
- Alterations to the A35 and C10 Station Road slip lanes.
- Embankment reprofiling and construction of surface water run off drainage.
- BT, Vodafone, Virgin Media and Bournemouth Water stats diversions.
- Demolition of the old steel bridge and old A35 carriageway alignment.
Design considerations:
- Completion of the AIP for Hampshire County Council.
- Assistance with the design of the precast beams.
- Coordination of stats utilities diversions in time for demolition and switch over to new bridge.
Challenges
The A35 is a major route passing through the New Forest National Park. The works required a full road closure.
Managing the delivery of the steel beams.
The protected status of the entire area including SAC, SPA, Ramsar and SSSI.
Solutions
Liasing with Hampshire County Council, the road closure had to be clearly communicated and explained. We worked closely with our traffic management contractor to plan the designated diversion routes and Highways England when our closure coincided with the nearby overnight closure of the A31.
Clear communication was also needed to ensure the public was aware Holsmley Tea Room remained open and accessible throughout, particularly around key events for the business such as Mothers’ Day.
The length of the steel beams made their delivery to the heart of the New Forest challenging. This event was carefully coordinated with National Highways, Hampshire County Council and New Forest District Council, with permission granted for the HGVs to travel against the one way system at night, to achieve the most direct route. We managed the short term road closures ourselves, manning junctions with road traffic marshals to temporarily halt traffic.
Extensive environmental management measures including liaising with the EA and raising the flood risk activity permit; Complying with maximum noise and vibration magnitudes; Monitoring ecological impacts and prevention measures; Monitoring silt run off to avoid contamination of water courses; Approved methodology for the removal/demolition of the old bridge structure due to lead paint.
Outcome
We successfully met the deadline of reopening the A35 prior to the Easter holidays with the road coming back into use on 1 April.
The Considerate Constructors Scheme monitor visited site twice. We achieved scores of 40/45 and 43/45 for compliance with the code of practice.
