Sarens has participated in the replacement works of the Lilford road underbridge, where it has been able to carry out the removal of 2 sections of the steel deck and the ridge beams and subsequently assemble the new parts.
The project stems from NWR's initiative to upgrade the UK's bridges and underpasses, with the aim of keeping the country's infrastructure in optimum condition and facilitating the continuity of passenger transport.
The work was carried out by Sarens' team of professionals in a period of just 54 hours, using a 1No SCX2800-1 (275Te) crawler crane, a 130Te auxiliary crane, Ekki and steel mats and various rigging accessories.
Sarens has participated in the replacement works of the Lilford road underbridge in Brixton, London, where it was able to carry out the lifting services for the removal of 2 sections of the steel deck and ridge beams and their subsequent replacement with new parts. The work was carried out by Sarens' team of professionals in a period of 54 hours, so the operation did not cause any major disruption to traffic in the city.
The project stems from NWR's initiative for the improvement of bridges and underpasses in the United Kingdom, with the aim of maintaining the country's infrastructure in optimum condition, allowing and further facilitating the continuity of passenger transport. Thus, BAM Nuttall Ltd. wanted to count on the experience of Sarens to complete the project in the shortest possible time and with maximum safety guarantees, taking into account the track record of the company, which has already participated in similar projects in the past, and has also been the only one to offer the possibility of carrying out the bridge replacement operations with the help of a crawler crane, which was an important advantage when it came to carrying out the work.
The site where the work to replace the old bridge deck and install the new one was carried out in a densely populated residential area of London, so the team had limited space to manoeuvre. The challenge, therefore, faced by the team was to establish a safety perimeter that would allow the structure to be removed safely and without disturbing the residents of the area. This is why Sarens’ professionals had to weigh the idea of using a large mobile hydraulic crane, as it could not be located close enough to the site to be able to carry out the removal of the bridge deck and the subsequent assembly of the new piece.
After extensive consideration of which crane to use for the operation, the team finally opted for a 300Te crawler crane, which allowed for great flexibility in transporting the material needed for the bridge replacement and manoeuvring with the freedom required to assemble all the parts given the site constraints. In addition, Sarens also had a 1No SCX2800-1 (275Te) crawler crane, a 130Te auxiliary crane, Ekki and steel mats and various rigging accessories to complete the project on time.
In this way, the crawler crane used was able to lift the decks of the old structure, move them under load and lower them to ground level to subsequently lift the new parts from the designated area and carry out the assembly operation. Despite the main limitations encountered by the team, mainly due to the impossibility of loading already assembled elements of large proportions, given the space limitations and the crane build itself, the work was completed successfully and on schedule without major setbacks.
Although the construction team contacted other companies, none of them offered the possibility of carrying out the bridge replacement operations with the help of a crawler crane. In fact, once Sarens’ team of professionals explained the advantages of using a crawler crane, the client did not hesitate. Once the decision was made, Sarens got to work to provide the machinery, in this case the cranes, as well as the drivers, the lifting supervisors and the Slinger markers, which were arranged in consecutive shifts throughout the process.
The Sarens team has extensive experience in the UK, where it has recently been able to work on the Hinckley Point C power station, using the Big Carl, its most advanced crane and the largest in its repertoire. Sarens has also been able to contribute to projects such as the one carried out at the Fawler refinery, where it used a mobile lifting gantry capable of lifting loads of up to 1,250 tons for its clients Fluor and ExxonMobil, as well as the A465 extension from Dowlais Top to Hirwaun, where Sarens is involved in the erection and positioning of the bridge girder sections near Merthyr Tydfil.
About Sarens
Sarens is the global leader and reference in crane rental, heavy lift and engineered transportation services. With state-of-the-art equipment, value engineering, one of the world's largest inventories of cranes, transporters and special rigging equipment, Sarens offers creative and intelligent solutions to today's heavy lifting and engineering transport challenges.
With more than 100 entities in 65 countries operating without borders, Sarens is an ideal partner for small to large-scale projects. Sarens currently employs 4,543 highly qualified professionals who are ready to serve the needs of any client worldwide and in all market sectors. https://www.sarens.com/