On Monday of this week we commenced the second phase of a job on the River Wye in Gloucestershire. We are supplying a pontoon and safety boat for scaffold access to the Brockweir Road Bridge which is undergoing a £600,000 make over. Built in 1906, the iron Grade II listed bridge is situated across the River Wye between Brockweir and the A466 in the Forest of Dean.
The install of pontoon on the River Wye is not without complications. The River Wye just downstream at Chepstow is home to the worlds fastest rising tide and the worlds third largest tidal range. Needless to say trying to install a pontoon around the pier of a bridge in such conditions needs careful execution.
Our installation team began by installing a 15 metre long shore access pontoon which is able to rise and fall with the extensive tides. They also launched one of our rigiflex safety boats which was manned by one our RYA qualified skipper and crew teams throughout the install and will continue to be operational whilst works are undertaken.
The remaining pontoon was then launched in slabs measuring 7×2 metres in size from the shore access pontoon and floated down river on the falling tide. The pontoon was then secured around the pier on all 4 sides allowing the pontoon to rise and fall with the tides.
It was a tough long day for our instalation crew but ensuring the safety of all operatives whilst getting the job done to the clients requirements was the priority which the guys on site delivered to perfection – and with a smile on their rather dirty faces!
