A UK first - live launch without any practice under possession over 12 live tracks

Significant in both scale and complexity, the multi-award winning Tennison Road Bridge, with a design life of 120 years, has signalled a shift towards modernity for Croydon commuters. Exemplifying our deep expertise in tackling intricate engineering challenges, this £10.3m project was the first ‘live launch’ in the UK delivered without any practice under possession over 12 live railway tracks. It replaced an existing 90-year-old road over rail bridge with an innovative structure that is approximately 3.5 metres wider than its predecessor, encompassing broader footpaths on both sides of the bridge over the railway lines.

Recognising our team’s technical excellence, the new bridge structure, which was installed by ‘launch and slide’ techniques over 12 rail lines, and completed in August 2015, was the winner of the prestigious ‘Evening Standard People’s Choice Award’ at the ICE Awards.

This industry acknowledgement, just one of many, was testament to the innovative and collaborative approach, which defined the project. Epitomising this ingenuity, the road bridge, weighing 515 tonnes exclusive of a 50 tonne nose cone, was the first ‘live launch’ in the UK that was delivered without any practice under possession prior to continuing as a ‘live launch’.

Seamless possession handbacks were also a feature of our client focussed delivery, with the temporary bridge hand back of 41-hour possession – eight hours ahead of schedule – just one obvious example. Zero reportable accidents over 231,000 ‘man-hours’ and a vibrant engagement programme established with the local community represent additional facets of our Croydon completion.