Lamington Viaduct Emergency Works

Lamington Viaduct, West Coast Main line Bridge Repairs

Background

Following the severe storms on New Year’s Eve 2015 the Lamington Viaduct on the West Coast Main line was severely damaged and close to collapse, On New Year’s Day monitoring points were set up which showed that pier two had settled by 125mm.

Further investigation under the structure by specialist divers highlighted that pier 2 scour damage was far worse than expected and that below the water line most of the masonry piers sandstone blocks had been washed away. At this time, it became clear that there was a possibility that further scour might result in the collapse of the viaduct

Following appointment by Amco Rail, Westlin worked around the clock with both Amco & Network Rail to stabilise the affected bridge Pier supports which included covering them with a concrete jacket which were held into position with 8m soil anchors.

Project Summary

  • Due to the severity of the damage to the structure the majority of the reinforcement was supplied in stock length and a bending yard was set up on site to ensure the works could start immediately.
  • Radius timber formwork was pre-fabricated on site due to the nature and complexity of the curve and profile required for the concrete jackets covering the piers.
  • Concrete coping slabs pre-fabricated in site compound with the necessary lifting points to minimise installation time.
  • Following on from the completion of the emergency works at Lamington Viaduct the project was nominated for both the Saltire Civil Engineering Award and Most Interesting Major Infrastructure Project by the Rail Executive Club.