The project was designed for the Isle of Wight Council by Opus International’s Fareham office. The bridge has a span of around 80m, and was originally constructed in the 19th century. The structure is made from riveted beam sections. It was converted to a walkway following the closure of the island’s railway lines in the 1950s and 1960s.
For this refurbishment, the previous walkway surface was stripped off to get back to the original compound girders. Galvanised beams were laid crosswise onto the two primary girders, to provide a platform for the decking. These beams were attached using Lindapter’s girder clamps, which simply bolt on – avoiding any need to modify the original structure. Epoxy-encapsulated plywood decking panels were then laid on top of these beams to provide the walkway surface, and a safety parapet.
Opus International project manager, Andy Traves, said: “For economy, flexibility of implementation, and maintainability, we decided on a highly ‘componentised’ design for the upgrade. The Lindapter clamps meant we could attach beams simply, without welding or drilling. The modularity of the design also makes it simple to maintain – a spare part can be made ready, and replaced easily and cost effectively using local scaffolding.”
