New Clyde Bridge also known as the Caledonian Railway Bridge was built between 1899 to 1905 as Glasgow Central Station began to expand. The bridge links Scotland’s busiest station to the west coast mainline, around 1300 trains travel across its routes to Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, Ayrshire, and Inverclyde every day. The Clyde Major Structures scheme is a two-year project that will see the refurbishment and repair of this five-span 200 metre long landmark bridge. Works are set for completion in December 2021.
Project Summary
Each section of the bridge was scaffolded and encapsulated, with scaffold inspections being carried out when requested. The structure is then grit blasted, metal repairs conducted, and new paint applied in the existing traditional burgundy colour scheme.
Scaftec where requested by Taziker to carry out the full scaffold design involving all design drawings, calculations, site inspections and technical queries during the working operations.
Design Challenges
Various challenges occurred during the design of the scaffold for each phase. These included the removal of certain scaffold ties due to site obstacles or the location of steels. To overcome this challenge the scaffold was re-designed with additional braces and support points to allow the exclusion of various ties.
Another challenge was the height restriction on the live carriageway lanes. The original scaffold designed with scaffold beams underslung from the existing steel beams did not provide the required vehicle clearance required by the City Council. To overcome this the scaffold was re-designed without scaffold beams and designed only using tube and fittings.
The Result
To date on the project, we have ensured zero disruption to trains and passengers has occurred by using a bespoke encapsulation canopy which has been constructed over the bridge parapets. This has allowed the trackside works to continue immediately below the live overhead lines, allowing trains to continue to operate, eliminating the need for closures and possessions. Additionally, all scaffold suspended from the bridge has been designed and installed to ensure that the required height clearances to the waterway channel remain navigable assuring no disruption to the public or businesses using the river.