A key structure on the A9 near Inverness, 1,052m-long cable stayed bridge crosses the Beauly Firth between North Kessock and Inverness. There are 12 piers and the main span is 240m long, rising 29m above the water. There are 13 spans in total.
Kessock Bridge carries two lanes of traffic in each direction with a footway/cycleway on each side. The contract includes the installation of traffic management and refurbishment measures, resurfacing, waterproofing, the replacement of deck expansion joints and the re-tensioning of the bridge suspension cables. Further works will include the replacement of lighting columns and safety barriers and modifications to the existing deck edge parapet.
The surfacing material to be used is a specialist flexible system that is suited to steel suspension bridges and has only been used on a large scale once before in the UK, on the M5 Avonmouth Bridge. That project was managed by a Balfour Beatty/Mott MacDonald JV for the Highways Agency Area 2 EMA Contract.
To avoid disruption to traffic during the tourist season, works will be carried out in two phases: from February to June 2013 and February to June 2014.
Murray Easton, Balfour Beatty’s managing director in Scotland, said: “This is an important contract for the north of Scotland and we are delighted to have been awarded it. We have extensive experience of working on complex bridge projects in demanding situations, for example on the M74 completion project and the Forth Road Bridge. We will draw on all that experience to carry out the contract with as little disruption as possible.”
Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk
