• Stanway Viaduct restoration shortlisted from 135 entries • Awards ceremony held in London • Judges: “showcased the agile skill set of the full team” • Winner was Union Chain Bridge near Berwick-upon-Tweed
Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR) was a finalist for works carried out on Stanway Viaduct, at the New Civil Engineer (NCE) awards held in London on Thursday evening, 18th July. The GWSR entered the ‘Historic Bridges’ part of the ‘Bridge Awards’ section, during an evening that celebrated a wide range of outstanding civil engineering projects.
The railway was shortlisted from a remarkable 135 entries, along with the Barmouth Railway Bridge renewal project that cost some £30 million. Phase one of the Stanway Viaduct deck waterproofing project, coupled with the emergency stabilisation of the parapets which were found to be leaning outwards, cost less than £1million.
The GWSR’s main contractors were Walsh Construction and consultant David Symonds Associates
Winner of this Award category was the £10.5million restoration of the Grade 1-listed Union Chain Bridge, a suspension bridge over the River Tweed, four miles upstream of Berwick-upon-Tweed. When opening in 1820, it was the longest wrought iron suspension bridge in the world. The entire structure was dismantled and restored.
Finalists were: A513 Chetwynd Bridge in Staffordshire; Barmouth Bridge in Wales; King Edward VII Bridge in Newcastle; Menai Bridge Anglesey; Parkhead Viaduct, Dudley and Tintern Wireworks Bridge over the River Wye.
Dr Graham Plant, the GWSR’s Civil Engineering director, commented: “It was a real honour to attend the NCE Awards ceremony in London at the invitation of our contractor. I think we did very well to be finalists given that most of the other entries were multi-million pound projects. The winning entry was, in my view, very well deserved and I offer them my sincere congratulations.
“We have completed Phase 1 of the historic Stanway Viaduct project. This involved waterproofing the deck and stabilising the parapets, which were discovered to have failed while the waterproofing work was underway. The structure is now being allowed to dry out. Phase 2 involves repairing brickwork damaged by water ingress and is planned to start next year, subject to funding and taking up to three years to complete.”
Dr Plant added: “I believe we were shortlisted given the imaginative way we tackled the unexpected failure of the parapets and I’m deeply grateful for the collaborative way we all worked together.”
This was underlined by the judging panel which commented: “This project showcased the agile skill set of the full team involved and is a really effective example of the power of good project management.”
Restoration of the viaduct was entirely funded by the charitable Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway Trust whose Stanway Viaduct Appeal remains open. In addition, the GWSR is offering commemorative plaques for contributions of £250 or more, to be placed on each of the 240 stainless steel plates that stabilise the parapets.
