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PROJECTS

Northern Spire Bridge Sunderland (New Wear Crossing)

Client: Farrans Construction Limited

Solution: Marine based Rotary Bored Piles

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Quinn Piling were contracted to install the marine based piles for the new ‘Northern Spire’ bridge (New Wear Crossing) – a vital crossing to connect Sunderland. The Bridge scheme is phase two of the Sunderland Strategic Transport Corridor, which is a five-phase plan to improve links between the A19 and Sunderland City Centre and the Port of Sunderland.

Quinn Piling successfully completed the installation and testing of 24.5MN capacity piles ahead of programme. Providing adequate support for the 105m tall central pylon was challenging given its size and scale, but the project was a success, resulting in a lasting statement on the city skyline.

Piling Scope and Details

The project required the installation of 10 No., 1.5m diameter and 35m deep rotary bored piles, from a temporary working platform located on a cofferdam with a 10m open gallery beneath, in the centre of the River Wear. Temporary casing was required to drill the piles through the open gallery void beneath the piling deck.

The Piling works on the Central Pier followed the successful installation and testing of a preliminary test pile, a year in advance of the main contract works. This was static load tested to 60MN using two sacrificial ‘O Cells’ and was monitored with embedded strain gauges to confirm the pile design. The main piles were also subject to ultrasonic cross-hole integrity testing.

“The Northern Spire Bridge is the tallest structure in Sunderland, standing taller than Big Ben. With such a challenging scale, it was necessary that the support for the structure was robust and without fault. Quinn Piling handled this task with confidence and capability, delivering this job to an excellent standard.”

Stephen McCaffrey, Project Director (Farrans/Victor Buyck Steel Construction JV)

Working in a River Environment

Working in a marine/tidal river environment requires significant planning and risk assessment to mitigate problems. There are many environmental issues that need to be addressed to ensure safe construction within a watercourse. Quinn Piling were able to demonstrate by rigorous Risk Assessments and Method Statements that all drilling and concreting works complied with Statutory Authority requirements, to ensure there was no contamination and minimal disruption to the natural environment.