Verenigd Koninikrijk | Sandsend | East Row Footbridge

This bridge is located in Sandsend which is a small fishing village north of Whitby in a conservation area. It is a popular tourist attraction in the summer with award winning beaches. To cross the Sandsend Beck in the village pedestrians had to use a narrow stone road bridge which was not a safe arrangement so North Yorkshire County Council decided to install a new foot and cycleway bridge downstream of the road bridge.

In September 2016 the Council invited tenders for the design and supply of a new FRP footbridge which was won by Lifespan Structures.

Design

The contract required that the bridge be designed to the requirements of the European Code CUR96 for FRP bridges and relevant Eurocodes with a completed AIP submission, Cat 1 check and design life of 50 years. The proposed bridge deck was based on a resin infused FRP deck system utilising Infracore technology. The span was 16.7m and total bridge length 17.1m with a 3m clear width and depth of 410 mm. The deck was designed with a 120m manufactured radius to prevent water ponding on the deck and for aesthetics. The Council selected an aluminium parapet 1.15m high side fixed to the deck which matched the parapets nearby.

Installation

The deck weight was 6700 Kg and the parapet weight was 1200 Kg which is significantly less than a traditional steel bridge. This eliminated the need to close the road through the village for a crane lift. The bridge deck was delivered to site complete with surfacing in February 2017 along with the parapet. The installation contractor was able to quickly lift the bridge from the delivery lorry on to a sand berm using two excavators. The parapet was fitted and the bridge lowered into position the following day.