Last week was one of long days and nights for our install crew asssisting with bridge repairs on a Network Rail bridge at Portsbridge Creek in Portsmouth. Portsbridge Creek is a narrow tidal waterway seperating Portsea Island from the mainland of Englad. Yep, thats right Portsmouth is in fact an island, how many people new that?
Enough pub quiz trivia for one day back to pontoons and rail bridges! Our crew were onsite for 6 days and nights in total providing pontoons and safety boats whilst steelworkers undertook essential repairs to the bridge.
The tidal nature of the creek dictates that access to the underside of the bridge is limited and that shift times are dependant on these tidal windows, whether they be the middle of the day or in this case in the early hours! From Tuesday – Friday our crew were onsite providing 2 x work platforms and a safety boat for under bridge repairs whilst the track was still live. Folowed by a 26 hour blockade on the line where works were primarily undertaken from above. During this time our pontoons operated as fall protection alongside a safety boat manned by one of our qualified skipper and crew teams.
