RESTORATION OF THE FORTH BRIDGE
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RESTORATION OF THE FORTH BRIDGE The seemingly never-ending job of painting the Forth Bridge is coming to an end. The logistics and challenges behind the successful conclusion of the 10-year project to restore the bridge are outlined by John Andrew, the Business Development Director for Balfour Beatty Regional Civil Engineering, the principal contractor for the Forth Bridge Restoration Contract. RESTORATION OF THE FORTH BRIDGE 14 The Forth Bridge viewed from North Queensferry following the completion of the restoration works, November 2011 © John Andrew INGENIA ISSUE 49 DECEMBER 2011

RESTORATION OF THE FORTH BRIDGE December 2011 saw the completion of a decade-long project to repair and completely repaint the Forth Bridge for the first time in its 121 years of operation. The restoration works involved one of the largest-scale tasks of its kind, featuring innovative scaffolding techniques and encapsulation methods that have since been replicated on other large civil engineering and building projects. The Forth Bridge, which opened in 1890, had never before been subjected to this level of treatment. The logistics for this £130 million project, on the world’s first...

RESTORATION OF THE FORTH BRIDGE At all times during the restoration process, the structural integrity of the bridge was the primary consideration as the weather-resistant plastic membrane could have acted as a 'sail7and created additional wind loads to the structure. WEATHER The elements posed a constant challenge as the Forth Bridge can experience the weather of all four seasons in one day with conditions changing in a matter of minutes. Supervisors regularly checked that wind speeds were within agreed limits to ensure safe working conditions. When necessary, the scale of the bridge...

We run one of the largest engineering apprenticeship schemes in the UK helping people develop a range of skills from sheet metalworking to design engineering. As part of their three-year course, our apprentices also get to work on some of the country’s most exciting engineering projects like the Astute submarine programme and the Typhoon combat aircraft. It’s this dedication that led OFSTED to award us a Grade 1 for our apprentice training programme. RESTORATION OF THE FORTH BRIDGE of global US coatings specialist Sherwin Williams. The three-part coating system originated from the North Sea...