Articles about Wooden Footbridge

Two new FRP bridges have been designed, manufactured & supplied by Lifespan over the Droitwich Canal near Worcester
• North Bridge – 18.3m length by 2.4m wide
• South Bridge – 18.3m length by 1.2m wide & a 9m long by 1.2m wide ramp

A new 16.5m span, sustainable FRP footbridge with a design life of 120 years incorporating a bespoke balustrade of marine-grade polished steel and infill panels with a protective rust patina.

A short video that explains how an existing closed footbridge in Colinton Dell was refurbished using the latest FRP bridge technology by Lifespan Structures

Colinton Dell is a steep-sided gorge and wildlife refuge on the Water of Leith, just north of the old village of Colinton on the outskirts of Edinburgh.
Today walkways and a cycle path take visitors to the ruined Redhall Mill and past Kate's Mill, where paper for the Bank of Scotland's first banknotes is said to have been made.
As a result of a Lifespan e news letter campaign in the autumn of last year we received an enquiry from the Mott MacDonald team in Edinburgh.

After several on line meetings and an on site visit we developed a solution for the Client Edinburgh City Council and introduced CRL Scotland to the project team as a specialist contractor that was capable of delivering the project.

Following a tender process in early 2023 CRL Scotland were awarded the project valued at circa £250,000 as reported in March of this year

The objective of the project was to provide a replacement deck for the existing Colinton Dell Rustic Footbridge with a design life of 120 years. The existing timber deck on the footbridge was in very poor condition and a new Lifespan Structures (FRP) deck was designed, manufactured & installed by CRL Scotland as a replacement so that the bridge can be re-opened in July of this year

Due to the very challenging location of the site the CRL team came up with a carefully thought out plan as to how they would remove the old bridge and be able to safely install the new Lifespan FRP deck sections.

Additional challenges for the team included a high pressure gas main adjacent to the existing bridge, the steepness of the Dell either side of the bridge location and that everything had to come through the famous Colinton Dell Tunnel.

The new Lifespan Structures FRP deck was designed in house to conform with a specification provided by Mott MacDonald. The new deck of approximately 28m span was supplied in 5 sections of 5.7m long x 2.5m wide and 65mm thick that are mechanically fixed onto the existing longitudinal steel beams, that are in good condition. A new 1.5m high galvanised steel parapet was also be installed.

Watch the video here of the completed bridge
https://youtu.be/7F7L-bdyUPE

Due to economic & climate considerations Clients demand ever more sustainable options when trying to repair or extend the life of their bridges rather than its complete replacement. Bridges often require repairs and eventually wholescale replacement of key structural elements during its service life & these can be very expensive and disruptive to the users of the bridge. Perhaps the most disruptive and costly is that of the deck replacement which could be steel, concrete or a timber deck for pedestrians, cyclists and vehicle trafficking.

Almost 7 years ago one of our Local Authority Clients issued a tender for a project that required a new simply supported 8m single span bridge of 1m width with a standard anti climb parapet. A variety of typical bridge construction types were permitted including steel, timber and an alternative using Lifespan resin infused FRP composites. With input from the Client additional considerations were made as to the likely cost and regularity of maintenance works for each of the possible bridge types in order to ascertain a whole life cost for each of the options.

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Colinton Dell is a steep-sided gorge and wildlife refuge on the Water of Leith, just north of the old village of Colinton on the outskirts of Edinburgh. It extends from Colinton Parish Church towards Slateford along the Water of Leith Walkway and has an area of 10 ha (25 acres). The Dell includes mature and ancient mixed woodland and the protection afforded by the high banks and thick undergrowth makes it a natural habitat for wildlife, including numerous bird species and amphibians, voles, weasels, stoats and occasionally roe deer.

600kg FRP bridge deck replaces a 2-3000kg timber bridge, delivered and put in place in just a few hours. The installation of our first generation of lightweight footbridge structures is over 3 years ago now.

A small bridge, just 5m span, used to gain public access across a drainage ditch into a local nature reserve. The client was concerned that a traditional timber structure would have reduced durability due to damp environment, so selected the FRP option to reduce maintenance and subsequent whole life cost.  Its very well used by a lot of happy, wet and very muddy dogs!