Bridges

Who we are>

21st century challenge

Delivering a 21st century transport network that meets the needs of our society is an exciting challenge for engineers and bridges are often the critical link in meeting this need.

At Atkins, our experienced bridge engineers are aware that our work will have profound and long lasting effects on our society and we are constantly striving to deliver solutions for clients that respond to the challenges of today and tomorrow. With a rapidly changing world, new standards, evolving procurement processes and an increasingly global perspective, your choice of advisor to work with becomes increasingly important.

Our depth of knowledge runs from conceptual design to hands on operational responsibility. Whether it is an initial feasibility study for a river crossing or designing a cable repair scheme, we plan, design and enable solutions for our clients.

Ting Kau Bridge, Hong Kong

Atkins is one of the world’s leading engineering and design consultancies. We have the depth and breadth of technical expertise to respond to both the complex challenges of major infrastructure projects, and the urgent transition to a low carbon economy.

Atkins is the largest engineering consultancy in the UK and the largest multidisciplinary consultancy in Europe. Our size brings significant value to our clients, allowing us to harness an unrivalled breadth of skills and deep technical expertise to produce outstanding solutions to the most challenging problems.

The simplest description of what we do is “Plan Design Enable”

Plan - The challenges facing our clients are multidimensional, often because of an increasingly complex modern environment. From cost and risk planning, feasibility studies and logistics to impact assessments and stakeholder engagement activity, we plan every aspect of our clients’ projects.

Design - Atkins designs intellectual capital such as management systems and business processes. We also design physical structures such as office towers, schools, bridges and highways. Whatever we design, we apply the same passion and creativity combined with rigorous quality standards.

Enable - Our clients choose Atkins because they need assurance that their projects are procured safely and predictably. They entrust us with the management of projects, people, assets and issues - ensuring that deadlines are met, costs are controlled and success is delivered.

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Plan>

Right people, right preparation, right alongside

Effective planning is essential in making the right long term decisions. Taking a long view is always better than a short term fix. Even when it is essential to have rapid and clear decision making, having the right people and the right preparation can make all the difference in reaching the optimum solution.

With around 700 bridge engineers internationally, we have experience of a huge variety of bridge solutions for whichever stage in the Asset Lifecycle your project has reached. No challenge is too hard.

Having all the best players is not enough. We will work as a team. We will respond to your objectives, your concept and your lead. We will anticipate and tackle issues, and we will be alert to the risks and opportunities in each individual project.

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Bridge engineering through the

asset lifecycle

Decommission & renew

Identification & feasibility

Plan & design

Construction

Operate, maintain &

improve

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Concept for Aberdeen Channel Bridge, Hong Kong

Britannia Bridge

The 1850 bridge built by Robert Stephenson over the Menai Straits is used as both a road and rail bridge in double deck arrangement. Atkins has developed options for improving the road capacity of the bridge for the Welsh Assembly Government. Modifying the existing listed structure or building a new bridge alongside were evaluated and arch, cable-stay and an innovative composite steel-concrete truss were considered. The proposals were presented using our unique virtual reality tools.

Aberdeen Channel Bridge

Concept for Britannia Bridge improvements, UK

The 225m long concrete box girder bridge will carry the new South Island Line across the Aberdeen Channel linking Hong Kong Island to Ap Leu Chau Island. The local topography and the presence of existing infrastructure tightly constrained the arrangement of the bridge. Our challenge was to design a durable structure which fits into the local environment. Bearings were eliminated from the pier tops by providing split integral piers. To facilitate construction as balanced cantilevers during this construction stage, the split piers will be temporarily braced. The bridge is in a heavily populated area and to reduce the local impact full enclosure noise barriers are provided.

Giovanni Antonio Canaletto, A View of Walton Bridge © By permission of the Trustees of Dulwich Picture Gallery

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Walton Bridge

The new Thames Bridge at Walton will transform the river crossing and provide a lasting and iconic solution for this historic link. Surrey County Council, Costain and Atkins have developed the proposal through complex planning and public inquiry stages, with an expected completion date of 2013. Unlike the original bridge, the new structure will be toll free.

2010 Concept for the new Walton Bridge, UK

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“We have been delighted with the new footbridge and the enormous contribution it has made to Newport’s regeneration and skyline. It has given us a new landmark as the strong and stylish symbol of the revival of the City of Newport. Atkins has done a first class job leading the project.”John Burrows, Chief ExecutiveNewport Unlimited

Ideas a reality, problems history

As a client, you have ideas and objectives to improve your locality whether it is new business development, relieving traffic congestion or keeping existing assets in service. We are here to help you achieve those objectives. We bring our wide experience and expertise with bridge structures to make ideas a reality and problems history.

Bridges do not work in isolation; they have a purpose and functionality in their environment and understanding this purpose is the key to understanding the issues that motivate a promoter who is considering a project.

A bridge may simply be needed to get from A to B, but is this all? Should the structure fit quietly into the surrounding landscape or should it be a landmark, noticed by all who use it and drawing people to the location? How should the obstacle be crossed, how can it be built? Who are the stakeholders who have influence over a design? The list can be complex and entangled, with many competing constraints and options. Atkins can unravel the complexity, resolve the options and reduce the risk, leaving you, the client, with a structure that excels.

Plan>

Penang Bridge, Malaysia

Crescent Bridge, Peterborough, UK Temple Quay Bridge, Bristol, UK

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Medway Bridges: Design of new and refurbishment of old bridge

The M2 widening required a new 953m long viaduct and refurbishment of the original 1960 design. The 152m span of the new bridge was built using balanced cantilever construction whilst the approach viaducts were constructed on scaffolding or spanning falsework trusses. The refurbishment of the original viaduct required replacing the entire suspended span and repairing the half joints.

Working closely with the contractor’s team in the office and on site, under constant time and cost pressure, Atkins’ design team devised solutions that were safe, buildable and economic. The refurbishment design was characterised by its adaptibility to allow for the inevitable site discrepancies with the built records. The new design exploited non-linear analysis, material advances and detailed construction sequencing to generate savings for the client. The new bridge now has the longest external post-tensioned span in the UK and it won the Concrete Society Award for Excellence and Innovation.

Medway Bridges, Kent, UK

“A great achievement and an excellent team effort - the bridge looks very good insitu. Good proportions are important and this bridge looks right.”Peter Radford, Bridge ManagerSomerset County Council Silk Mills Bridge, Somerset, UK

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First and foremost our designs are developed to achieve our client’s objectives. For most clients this will be a gradual process building on the previous knowledge and decisions as a project moves through the steady build up of understanding and commitment.

That does not diminish the opportunity to challenge design assumptions where necessary to establish a winning design, either through competitive dialogue or internal review. The rigour provided by commercial competition keeps our designs honed and keen.

We build the team to suit the project, drawing on our experience and understanding of the key issues and constraints.

Our bridge engineers do not work in isolation and usually we have highway, rail, geotechnical and environmental teams to work alongside us.

We are used to a team approach on complex and high value projects and the ability to form cooperative and constructive project teams is a core value that is part of the Atkins ethos. Understanding what is important to the client is also fundamental and we seek to establish this from day one.

But simply understanding the constraints and requirements is not enough. We strive to get to the winning idea or alternative approach that will provide a competitive edge and put our solutions ahead of the pack. The opportunity may often be in minimising material quantities, but a wider view is always taken to investigate other factors such as construction techniques or the use of innovative materials. These may deliver best value through reduced construction duration or reduced disruption to existing networks or reduced embodied carbon.

Design>

Ijburg Bridge, Amsterdam, Holland6

“Atkins achieved the project milestones whilst maintaining the safety and availability of Light Rail services”Billy Tam, Construction Manager (Light Rail) KowloonCanton Railway CorportationLight Rail Grade Seperation, Hong Kong

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Red and Green lines, Dubai Metro

Atkins was called in to rescue the design of 45km of elevated light rail viaduct which had stalled on site with 7 piling rigs standing idle and 1200 piers to be designed and externally approved. Within nine months we had recovered the six month delay in the design programme and completed the design. This progress was achieved through simplification and automation to deliver 100 foundation designs a week. In addition we refined the design to eliminate expensive detailing, making the most of the existing ground conditions and demonstrating improved buildability of reinforcement detailing under fatigue loading. We also brought their expertise to bear on the precast segmental superstructure design by optimising the prestressing layouts and eliminating any tendon clashes with our bespoke clash detection software.

Design>

Dubai Metro Viaduct, UAE

Dubai Metro, Dubai

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Design, build, feedback, opportunity

Design>

Auchenshuggle Bridge, M74 Completion, Glasgow, UK

When it comes to delivery of bridge designs, we are the number one UK consultant for highway and railway bridges. We have produced and managed detailed designs for major projects with a combined capital value of £4.93bn over the past ten years. We design more steel bridges than any other UK consultant.

Projects such as the M25 DBFO, M74 Completion and Thameslink Borough Market Viaduct require vital processes and tools to ensure on time and accurate designs. We have shown that we have the capability and resource to deliver the large projects either as a single one-stop supplier, lead designer or as part of joint venture teams. We have the flexibility to adapt to changing construction demands that arise as the work on site progresses. We can often provide detailed justification to support our client’s requested site variations and help to avoid unnecessary expenditure through better, more buildable solutions.

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“In terms of working with the design team on a D&B project, this was the most successful project I have worked on to date”David Welsh, Interlink Project Director M74 Completion, Glasgow, UK

Lowry Centre Footbridge, Salford, UK

Falkirk Wheel Boatlift, Falkirk, UK

This experience is not just used for Design and Build contracts. Atkins is an organisation built on established and supportive relationships to improve the overall business performance. The Bridge Engineering Working Group comprises leading bridge specialists from all market sectors and our international businesses. Established to share knowledge and promote best practice, the working group has ensured that the different engineering skills are widely appreciated across Atkins and made available for deployment to the local client team. Specialist groups range from asset management to material performance, from sustainability to structural dynamics. But the working group is also about a collaborative and open approach where design issues can be freely discussed in order to obtain the best solution.

Feedback and experience from site form the basis of new designs being developed at the initial stages. As our engineers learn more about cost effective and practical bridge construction, they feed this into preliminary designs and option selection. Issues that arise during a design, or on site, are picked up by the Bridge Engineering Working Group and cascaded as new guidance notes or revised industry guidelines. In this way, through working relationships, we ensure that there is continuous improvement and increased knowledge of the overall Atkins capability in bridge engineering.

We are the leading UK company in the design of structural, mechanical and electrical engineering of movable bridges, providing real time monitoring, moving systems, mechanical and electrical design and control. Atkins power and electrical design have provided the motive force and control on many of the signature and landmark moveable bridges built in recent years.

The word’s first rotating boatlift. The 35m high, 1500T machine transports canal barges between the Forth & Clyde Canal and the Union Canal. We produced the scheme design and details of the opertaing and rotating mechanisms for the complex wheel structure. Each gondola contains 25,000 litres of water and can carry eight boats at a time.

Winner of the Structural Steel Awards.

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Atkins knows how to look after a client’s bridge stock. Being responsible for assets across the UK as Maintaining Agent and DBFO shareholder means that we understand the maintenance cycle and the necessity of planning appropriate and cost effective interventions within targeted budgets.

This knowledge of whole life cycle costs and practicalities forms a fundamental part of how we ensure that bridge infrastructure continues to operate at the desired level. A critical approach to operational requirements shapes the way we think about, and plan, new designs. We strive to match operational longevity and ease of maintenance with new approaches and materials. We actively influence and fashion new standards and products to serve the bridge engineering industry as a whole.

Atkins has been at the forefront in developing the bridge aspects of the Eurocode Standards and has authored the Management of Highway Structures Code of Practice used throughout the UK.

Our asset management teams have developed structural inspections beyond blanket routine examination into a targeted risk based approach for Transport for London and the Welsh Assembly Government. By concentrating effort on structures that are more vulnerable we have made better use of scarce resource without lowering standards.

From high speed rail upgrades to sensitive maintenance of scheduled ancient monuments, Atkins has the depth of expertise in understanding the key issues when it comes to maintaining and renewing the country’s infrastructure.

Responsible engineering

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Chinese Bridge

Originally designed by architect James Gallier in the Chinese Chippendale Style, the bridge required reconstruction after a special inspection found significant decay in the timber trusses. Atkins designed the reconstruction of the Grade II* listed footbridge to replace the parts that had deteriorated. The durability and robustness of the structure were also improved and raised to modern standards without detriment to the appearance.

Monitoring critical structures

Inspection and monitoring of existing structures can reveal deficiencies in condition, capacity or operation. Structural monitoring can provide an economic and sustainable alternative to closure or expensive reconstruction. Atkins has expertise in remote monitoring systems using a wide range of sensory equipment to gather data, and in interpretation of the results. It is important that the correct monitoring system is specified for the problem being investigated, so that meaningful data are recorded and credible conclusions made. For complex problems it may be necessary to use a range of different sensors to gain a full understanding of the situation.

Atkins’ breadth of experience enables our engineers to call on a large network of expertise in evaluating the results of monitoring. From a thorough understanding of the cause and extent of a defect, a robust and reliable solution can be taken forward by the client.

Calva Bridge

Calva Bridge made the headlines in November 2009 when flood water undermined the leading edge of the river piers of this 1862 Grade II listed masonry arch. Initially the press reported that the bridge was ‘condemned’ and was to be rebuilt.

Working for the insurers of the bridge, Atkins was able to provide expert advice based on an almost identical problem some forty years earlier in Warwickshire. We prepared a case for repairing the bridge that demonstrated savings in time as well as money. With the repair case supported by the Contractor and independent experts this is now the adopted solution.

Chinese Bridge, Cambridgeshire, UK

Calva Bridge, Workington, Cumbria, UK

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“Very professional and thorough which certainly helped towards achieving an excellent end product”. Andrew Strang, Bridge Engineer Clackmannanshire Council Shavelhaugh Bridge, Clackmannanshire, UK

Shavelhaugh Bridge, Clackmannanshire, UK 13

Forth Road Bridge

Atkins has unrivalled expertise in designing and installing dehumidification systems on both the Forth and Severn suspension bridges. Not only do we design the dehumidification plant and SCADA control systems, we also design the mobile access gantries needed to install the equipment along each cable 130m above sea level. The self propelled gantries provide full and safe access without disruption to the traffic below.

We have worked closely with Forth Estuary Transport Authority to design refurbishment of the suspension bridge main expansion joints and approach viaduct bearings. The design team have used a wide range of techniques from non-linear design to virtual reality modelling to design and plan the execution of the works within the limited space available and in a difficult operational environment. Our work forms part of the ongoing operations to ensure that the existing bridge is maintained as a fully functional arterial route for Scotland’s capital city.

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Forth Road Bridge, UK 15

EASE OF MODIFICATION DEMOLITION

CONSUMPTION OF NATURAL RESOURCES

USE OF RECyCLED MATERIALS

USER DELAy DURING

CONSTRUCTION

AESTHETICS

NOISE DURINGSERVICE

NOISE DURINGCONSTRUCTION

ExTENT OF LOSS OF HABITAT

USER DELAy DURING

CONSTRUCTION

WHOLE LIFECOST

INITIAL COSTCARBON FOOTPRINT

(MAINTENANCE)

CARBON FOOTPRINT(CONSTRUCTION)

Sustainability– Beyond the theoretical>

Combating climate change and providing sustainable infrastructure require a massive transformation in the way we deliver designs for our clients. As engineers we have a responsibility to society to provide the practical solutions that turn rhetoric into results. Atkins plans to play its part to the full. Challenged by Keith Clarke our Chief Executive, the bridges community is developing ways to demonstrate that our designs are sustainable. We are not there yet, and handling uncertainty is one of the most interesting challenges to engineers used to being guided by codes and standards, but we are setting the pace.

One of our successes has been our development of a Sustainability Index for Bridges that integrates sustainability principles and climate change in a simple and effective tool for comparison of different design solutions. Graphical output is used for five aspects of sustainability: economy, environment, society, use of natural resources and climate change. The index can provide option evaluation, identify areas for further refinement and demonstrate continuous improvement. It is easily calibrated to reflect the balance an individual client may want for each of the five aspects.

Bridge carbon calculator

Tata Steel and British Constructional Steel Association have jointly commissioned Atkins to investigate ways of measuring and then reducing the carbon footprint of steel bridges during construction and maintenance. Our solution is an industry tool for quantifying the embodied and operational CO2e of steel-concrete composite bridges. This will benefit the wider industry by providing an accurate assessment of the carbon footprint and help engineers identify ways to reduce it. Its beauty is its simplicity for preliminary assessment of designs coupled with the functionality to refine all the default assumptions if more detailed data is available.

“Moving to a low carbon economy is as large a driver for engineers today as industrialisation was to our forefathers from the Victorian age” Keith Clarke, Atkins Chief Executive ICE International Brunel Lectures

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London 2012 Olympic Park enabling works: Winner of the British Construction Industry Awards 2010 Judges’ Special Award

Key achievements include a reduction of 23% in the carbon footprint of the Games and more than 2 million tonnes of contaminated soil were washed, allowing 80% of existing material to be re-used. We created an Energy Centre to supply heat and power to the Park, which runs off natural gas and biomass boilers. Non-potable water will be used to irrigate the Olympic Park and the sustainable drainage system will ensure that any contaminated water does not pollute surrounding areas.

The judges noted that success was driven by extraordinary teamwork from the large number of expert parties involved, resulting in the delivery of a world-class project.

When London was awarded the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games a constant concern was whether 2.5km2 of derelict and hugely contaminated site could be transformed in time and to cost. The answer is a resounding yes. Not only was the entire site cleared, cleaned and stabilised in readiness for the construction of the Olympic Park facilities, but new benchmarks have been set for how to approach future brownfield redevelopments.

Working with huge time pressures as well as constant political and media scrutiny over the budget, the delivery team completed the tricky and at times experimental job, on time and under budget.

Olympic Park: Wetland areas beside River Lee navigation

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Printed on 9lives 55 Silk, manufactured with National Association of Paper Merchants Certification (NAPM).9lives 55 Silk offers the ultimate in environmental management. It is produced with 55% recycled fibre from both pre- and post-consumer sources, together with 45% virgin ECF fibre from sustainable forests.

For more information please contact

Chris Hendy Tel. +44 1372 756307Email. chris.hendy@atkinsglobal.com

www.atkinsglobal.com

© Atkins Limited except where stated otherwise.

The Atkins logo, ‘Carbon Critical Design’ and the strapline ‘Plan Design Enable’ are trademarks of Atkins Limited.

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