Working for main contractor Costain Norwest-Holst joint venture, the sheerlegs erected steel pylons in a continuous six night cycle.
The pylons, each weighing about 45 tonnes, support the concrete footbridge and were fabricated down river by Butterley Engineering and transported to site by barge. Taklift 5 would then lift each pylon off the transport barge, rotate it to the vertical using its two main lifting blocks and move across the river under its own propulsion to the bridge to install it into position. It required a high height hook to be able to reach over the deck launching gantry and also quite a long outreach to be able to place the A frame pylon on the Embankment. For this project, Taklift 5 was thus fitted with its 33m long flyjib.
As the work required possession of the Railtrack bridge and on one occasion the road, it was restricted to night time working only. Also, as the River Thames is a major marine traffic route through London, Smit had to ensure maintenance of a clear passage for other vessels.
Using a sheerlegs meant that all steelwork could be installed from the river, reducing on-land congestion and removing the need for expensive or complicated temporary works.
MJ Information No: 16710
