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Osborne Success at Refurbishment of Two Viaducts

Osborne successfully refurbished two viaducts during a 10-day blockade at the 19th Century River Avon and River Stour viaducts. 

The work included the removal of the existing timber longitudinal rail bearers and the installation of new steel rail bearers. 

“The new rails are fastened directly to the beams using a Pandrol VIPA plate which makes it an unusual support system,” explained Benjamin Leng, Assistant Site Manager at Osborne.

In addition, minor steelworks will be carried out as well as the grit-blasting and repainting to the River Stour Viaduct beyond the 10-day blockade.

Benjamin added: “We installed scaffolding to the underside of the River Avon viaduct, preventing workers falling into the river, as well as tools or materials, and to the River Stour viaduct where we have encapsulated the entire structure for grit blasting and painting.”

“The River Avon is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), Special Protection area (SPA) and a designated RAMSAR area (wetlands of international importance designated under the RAMSAR Convention). The River Avon is particularly popular for fishing, so we have had to be extremely careful to protect the local wildlife.

We even adapted the scaffolding around the River Stour viaduct to allow river users to pass underneath while we are working.

With many potential safety risks and a large number of people on the project, we made sure that we knew who and how many people were on site and what they were doing at any one time.”

Benjamin explained further: “We were pleased with the work we had undertaken, despite the fact we were only able to replace the down line rather than both lines. There is always this risk with a blockade of this size, but the safety of our people and members of the public was always at the forefront of our minds.”   

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