Completion of the Northern Spire Bridge in Sunderland is now in sight, and it is expected to open in early 2018.
Site works are currently focused on completing the deck and approach roads.
The task of stitching together the 670 pre-cast concrete deck panels required to complete the 336m long by 24m wide deck was significant. 350 cubic meters of concrete were laid in over 4 kilometers of joints to form the solid concrete deck.
The installation of 4 kilometers of HDPE ducting and 188 kilometers of parallel strands for the 14 cable stays took 2 months to complete. It required close co-operation between the contractor and the design joint-venture of Roughan & O'Donovan and Buro Happold.
Roughan & O'Donovan led the design input required during the cable-stay installation process and dictated the sequence of stressing throughout. The challenging operation required multiple iterations of stressing and de-stressing to obtain the correct stay forces and deck and pylon geometry.
Harry Meighan, managing director, Roughan & O'Donovan, said:
As we enter the final stages of construction of the new bridge project, the overwhelming feeling is one of pride in having been part of the team responsible for delivering this amazing landmark for the city of Sunderland.
