Tullygarley Bridge Widening and Road Re-alignment
Tullygarley, Northern Ireland
| Client |
Roads Service – Northern Division |
| Consulting Engineer |
Roads Service – Northern Division |
| Value |
£1.67m |
| Contract Period |
- |
Contractor designed strengthening and widening of an existing multi-arch masonry bridge and the re-alignment of 450m of carriageway including earthworks, drainage, surfacing, kerbing, accommodation works and works for Statutory Authorities. Temporary works included a contractor designed footbridge.
In January 2008, Roads Service appointed FP McCann to strengthen and widen the existing Tullygarley Bridge over the River Braid near Ballymena and to re-align over 1km of the adjacent Tullygarley Road under a £1.67m Design and Build contract. It was completed on time, and within budget in February 2009 attracting considerable praise from the client, the press and local residents.
The scheme included a number of environmental, logistical, traffic management, and utility engineering constraints.
The existing masonry structure, believed to date back to the late 1800's, comprised three river arches and two secondary flood relief arches. Although not listed, it provides considerable historical interest. It is well sited in the landscape, loved by local residents, and offers idyllic views from the neighbouring golf course and adjoining river tow path walks.
Key constraints included a requirement that two-way vehicular traffic, up to 14,000 vehicles per day, had to be maintained at all times (with the exception of an eight week period coinciding with the school holidays). Pedestrian access over the river had to be maintained throughout.
A temporary steel truss footbridge, provided by Roads Service, also accommodated temporary pumping and gravity sewer diversions. FP McCann value engineered the proposed temporary footbridge layout and re-formatted the spans to reduce river bank earthworks.
The end users benefit greatly from the widened bridge. The new carriageway alignment provides footpaths, a cycleway, and accommodates a right turn pocket into a notoriously busy ‘T’ junction. The new masonry parapets, chosen and laid carefully to match the existing, provide safer visibility for vehicles whilst integrating into the semi-rural river bank setting. The river walk has been enhanced and the river flood alleviation arches have been extended in keeping with the original elevation, yielding a floodplain that is both practical and offers an environmental green corridor for wildlife.
The project was the winner of the Transport Infrastructure Award in the 2009 CEF Specify Construction Excellence Awards