SRK SCAFFOLDING AND UKSSH SOLVE “THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT” IN SOUTH WALES

The need for pedestrians to cross a mainline railway on Stormy Down – a Site of Special Scientific Interest at Pyle, near Bridgend in South Wales - was costing millions of pounds in delays to rail services between London Paddington and South Wales.

The problem was an ageing level crossing that meant that trains had to slow down considerably to cross it safely. The impact on the rail system seemed totally disproportionate to the cause – a classic example of the butterfly effect (named after the idea that when a butterfly flaps its wings in India, that tiny change in air pressure could eventually cause a tornado on the other side of the world).

SRK Scaffolding, which has a Head Office in Somerset, knew that working with UK System Scaffold Hire, they could deliver the perfect solution: a Haki Public Access Bridge accessed by a Haki Public Access Staircase on either side of the track.

Ray Luscott, Regional Manager at SRK Scaffolding’s Newport office, explained that because of the length of time the bridge would remain in position SRK decided to buy the equipment from UKSSH rather than hire it, but UKSSH’s speed of response and expertise with Haki’s public access products made them the obvious partner for the project: “Access to the bridge required cleverly designed public access staircases on each side of the track, both to accommodate different access levels and a challenging footprint for the stairs.

“We knew that UKSSH would work hand in hand with us both to devise the best solution and to quickly and efficiently meet any challenges that would require last minute “tweaks” to the design”.

When it came to erecting the Haki Bridge, the site constraints meant the bridge had to be constructed in the site compound some distance away from the actual bridge crossing. UKSSH’s experience of these types of build resulted in the 10m long x 1.65m wide bridge being constructed on a temporary Haki support scaffold thus allowing the scaffolders to work within a fully guardrailed environment to complete the task in safety.

In a single track possession the bridge was then craned some 500 yards to the final resting place over the main railway line to London and positioned with ease onto the waiting Public Stair supports either side of the line.

Under any circumstances SRK Scaffolding delivered a very cost-effective access solution, but in view of the ongoing cost savings the Haki Bridge ultimately delivered for Network Rail, it really was an exceptionally successful project.

 

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