Cleveland Bridge UK has been recognised for the delivery of a major UK infrastructure project at the 2020 Structural Steel Design Awards.
Selected from the large volume of recent infrastructure projects across the UK, the company’s work on the A14 Cambridge to Huntingdon Improvement Scheme is one of only six schemes chosen by the awards organisers.
The award acknowledges Cleveland Bridge UK’s innovative and high-quality work for the project, which consisted of the construction of the scheme’s showpiece bridge, an impressive 750m long viaduct over the River Great Ouse. The viaduct required 6,000 tonnes of steel, comprising of 76 main girders and 800 cross girders, and was completed on budget and ahead of schedule.
The renowned annual Structural Steel Design Awards recognise and celebrate the excellence of the United Kingdom in the field of steel construction, with a focus on efficiency, cost effectiveness, aesthetics, sustainability and innovation.
The Darlington-based steel manufacturer was contracted to fabricate and construct six major new bridges for a section of the new A14 as part of a £1.5 billion scheme to improve the road between Cambridge and Huntingdon on behalf of Highways England.
With quality and efficiency a priority for the North East based structural engineers, in order to produce the cross girders more efficiently, a new welding procedure was devised. The process involved modifying part of its production machinery to include additional welding capabilities, allowing twice the amount of weld metal to be placed per minute.
In addition, Cleveland Bridge implemented a highly cost effective and time efficient programme for bridge installation. Two of the bridges were assembled alongside the construction site prior to installation and then positioned using self-propelled modular transporters (SPMTs), preventing the closure of the A14 for a number of weekends.
Chris Droogan, Managing Director at Cleveland Bridge UK, said: “This award is a major endorsement of our capabilities, our team, and the collaborative approach we take, built upon a successful track record of delivery on major steel structures.
“The A14 is a landmark project in a list that stretches back more than 150 years and is testament to the continuing role we are playing in the development of significant infrastructure projects here in the UK and around the world.”
