CPA Bulletin

www.cpa.uk.net CPA Bulletin > May 2023 35 Complex Bridge Lift Reconnects Derby Community Due to the poor structural condition of the existing Darley Abbey footbridge, Derby City Council called upon Mabey Hire for its temporary bridging and in-house installation expertise to help reconnect the local community. Providing local access across the River Derwent in the historic village of Darley Abbey, the original bridge structure was condemned due to safety concerns in May 2022. The bridge formed a key part of the local infrastructure, providing the community with easy access across the river to the Darley Abbey Mills, which houses several restaurants, bars and small businesses. As such, Derby City Council knew that a temporary bridging solution would be required and Mabey Hire was appointed to design, supply and install a temporary bridge. The temporary bridge design, which spanned 45 metres in length, was made fromMabey Hire’s Compact 200 modular footbridge system, designed specifically for pedestrian applications, with the addition of steel mesh in-fill panels for added safety. The main challenge on the project came from the installation, with a severely tight site space and limited access. Due to the location, the 45-metre-long temporary bridge was delivered to site in modular panels, before being assembled in skeleton form on a residential road and then lifted into position by a 500-tonne capacity crane. Lee Matthews, Major Projects Manager at Mabey Hire said: “This was a huge and incredibly complex installation, requiring all of our engineering team and in-house installation team’s expertise to plan and safely execute logistically. Due to the location, it was decided that a crane lift would be the safest approach but even that presented challenges. As well as the residential street being the location for the bridge assembly - a very tight space - the site also included a row of protected trees, which made the site constraints even harsher when considering the crane lift. “We were working with exceptionally tight tolerances - at one point, part of the crane was just a couple of metres away from a resident’s front door! It’s testament to our experience and expertise that we were able to achieve the lift and installation with a 500-tonne crane – rather than the larger crane that was originally discussed.” Following the assembly and installation, the temporary footbridge was officially named as ‘Walter’s Walkway’ and opened to the public in October 2022, following a competition where local school children suggested potential names for the new bridge. NEWS FROM CPA MEMBERS: 2 GEDA has sold its first transport platforms to Malta in partnership with local firmY&P Cranes. Y&P Cranes is the leading crane hire company on the island and also operates a successful international business. A state-of-the-art new office building is currently under construction on the island and safe and efficient height access is essential on this new building project. ST Projects, the construction firm responsible for the development, opted for GEDA due to its proven track record and the quality that comes with the ‘Made in Germany’ stamp. Reliability and servicing were major factors in the decision. One of two GEDA 1200 Z/ZP transport platforms already delivered to Malta has been deployed on the building site. On this project, the transport platform needs to serve 17 floors and reach a conveyor height of 85m. The GEDA 1200 Z/ZP has a maximum conveyor height of 130m and a generous load capacity of 1,500kg, allowing enormous quantities of building materials to be transported quickly and safely to their destinations on the site. Like all GEDA transport platforms, the equipment features two separate control systems. This means that it can be used simply as a material hoist (lifting speed of 24 m/min) or switched over to convey personnel and material (lifting speed of 12 m/min). The compact dimensions of the base unit make it easy to transport to and from the work site, and the handy setup aid is extremely useful for the basic assembly of the equipment. GEDA Adding a Dash of Blue to Malta