Aarsleff Piling - General Development - Stockton on Tees, Cleveland, Piling Rig Versatility on Surtees Bridge
Date: 03 Oct 2006
Aarsleff Piling has demonstrated the versatility of one of its Banut 700 fixed leader, self erecting, hydraulic drop hammer piling rigs during the construction of the replacement Surtees Bridge in Stockton on Tees, Cleveland. The specialist driven piling contractor is using the same rig to respectively install steel H section and precast concrete piles for the new bridge's abutments and eastern carriageway approach transition slab.
The existing five span steel girder bridge, which carries the A66 dual two lane carriageway over the River Tees, has problems with the settlement of the approach embankment and the concrete supports below the water line and does not meet all the standards required to take the latest 40 tonne heavy goods vehicles. The Highways Agency has decided to demolish the bridge and replace it with a new widened dual three lane crossing. This will be a three span steel girder bridge with an insitu concrete deck and 50 m central span over the river and spans of 48 m between piers and reinforced concrete abutments.
The Highways Agency awarded the £14.3M project to contractor Edmund Nuttall and work started at the end of March 2006. The job will be carried out in two main phases by initially diverting all the traffic on to the northern carriageway to allow the southern carriageway to be demolished and replaced with the new section. Traffic will then be switched to the new section to allow the similar process of demolition and reconstruction to be repeated. Work is scheduled to last 18 months and when complete will also accommodate slip roads to and from the new South Stockton Link Road that includes a new 106 m long bridge over the River Tees for which Aarsleff also installed the steel H beam piles for the bridge's abutments.
Nuttall subcontracted the approximate £240,000 driven piling works for the Surtees Bridge to Aarsleff to be carried out in two separate phases. Aarsleff has to install 34 of the 32 m long steel 305 mm by 305 mm by 223 kg/m H beams in two equal rows in each of the two abutments. In addition 114 continuously reinforced 300 mm square section, 26m long Centrum precast concrete piles will be driven to support the concrete transition slab on the south eastern approach carriageway.
On its first six week visit Aarsleff used the Banut 700 to install all the precast concrete piles and 14 of the steel columns on each side of the river. The concrete piles were driven in two 13m long jointed sections and to a set to accommodate working loads of 1200kN. About 10% of the precast piles were tested by independent testing company Precision Monitoring and Control. The versatility of the Banut enabled Aarsleff's site team to quickly change driving caps and alternate between the precast piles and steel columns.
The steel H piles, supplied by Nuttall, were driven in two rows of seven on each abutment, with each 32 m long column installed in two separate 16 m long sections butt welded together. The front row of backward 1:6 raking under piles, together with the back row of vertical under piles, were all driven to leave about 1.5 m upstanding. All the verticals were then extended with butt welding and driven to level, prior to following on with extending and driving the rakers. All the steel bearing piles were driven to a set to accommodate a working load of 1750kN.
Two continuous drive tests were completed on both sides of the river, together with one test after 24 hours on both sides, plus a final test after 7 days on just one pile on the eastern abutment. Aarsleff is expected to return to site early next year to install the remaining 40 H beam piles on either side of the river for the northern carriageway.
Piling work at Surtees Bridge
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