Keltbray deconstructs first bridge of Queen Elizabeth Park legacy project

The ‘Stratford City Bridge’ which is over 70 metres long and 30 metres wide, was designed by Tony Gee & Partners and constructed by Balfour Beatty to provide primary access for spectators entering the Olympic Park from the Westfield Shopping Centre. It features five main steel girder trusses, weighing over 75 tonnes (equivalent to the weight of 15 elephants) and spanning 55 metres over the waterways canal, longer than the adjacent Aquatics Centre pool.

Keltbray’s project manager Gavin Lawless, explained: “Working in such a high profile area the project had a number of complex issues to contend with at planning stage including stringent safety and environmental controls working adjacent to the waterways, logistical constraints in the park and numerous lifting and plant operations occurring simultaneously on site but the bridge was removed ahead of programme and without any major incident/accident.”

“We originally looked at the possibility of removing the bridge for reuse elsewhere as a complete unit, but were unable to find a suitable location so the timber decking has been removed 90% intact with most of it donated for use in a sustainable eco-garden at the Cre8 Lifestyle Centre in Hackney Wick to benefit the local community. The remaining materials, including concrete and steel, are being crushed and recycled for use in other projects.”

Keltbray’s lifting operations manager, Steve Leyton, was extensively involved in the project and spoke regarding the main span lifts: “A Liebherr LG 1550 1000t mobile crane was used to lift the main girders as part of the single biggest lift operation Keltbray has ever completed. It is also the first time a project of this size was not sub-contracted out under CPA contract lift agreement. We hope with this new in-house expertise, we can reduce our craneage costs and become more competitive in securing future works of this kind.”

Keltbray has been working closely with customer, Balfour Beatty, which is responsible for the Aquatics Centre Legacy works. “Keltbray completed this challenging contract in a professional manner, on time and on budget” said Project Manager for Balfour Beatty Construction Services UK, David Clarke.

Photographs can be accessed via this link:https://www.dropbox.com/sh/o2f75abdhms3cqm/yN0–LrV8s

For more information, please contact Keltbray’s head of communications, Marit Meyer-Bell, on tel. 0786 765 3392 or by email to [email protected]

Keltbray is the UK’s leading specialist engineering, construction, decommissioning and environmental services business providing fully integrated services to meet the needs of diverse and complex projects. We are committed to engineering innovation and industry leadership in health, safety, quality and the environment. Our in-house training focuses the business on excellence and on delivering value to our clients thereby fostering long lasting relationships and partnerships. High profile projects include Europe’s tallest building – The Shard, London’s Thames Link and deplanting at Bradwell Power station. For more information, see www.keltbray.com