ROLE: Working in an integrated team of engineers and ITS specialists, you will be provided with the opportunity to work on innovative ITS projects for the Irish road network, liaising daily with our client. The successful candidates will take a lead role in the development of ITS schemes design and specification and the procurement of associated works and supply contracts. See attached for more information ITS recruitment.

Specialists working on the new river crossing had spent two years planning the raising, and had spent the last three weeks getting the impressive white structure prepared and connected to the rigging. A combination of four strand jacks that were anchored 30m into the ground, a crane boom known as the backmast, and a series of steel cables were used to slowly inch the pylon up. The raising process is only being carried out in daylight hours, so the operation will be paused overnight, and is expected to be completed sometime tomorrow.

Stephen McCaffrey, Project Director for Farrans Victor Buyck Joint Venture (FVB), which is delivering the project on behalf of Sunderland City Council, said the operation was going extremely well, he said:

“The lifting process is going as we planned and expected. We are making very good progress and expect the pylon to be in its final 90-degree position during the weekend. 
There has been a lot to do to prepare the pylon for the lift. When it arrived on site we had to release the sea fastenings and then begin the process of connecting the pylon to the tusks that have been built to support it in the riverbed foundations. We have also had to prepare and rig the lifting equipment, which has involved manoeuvring some huge pieces of equipment around the site.
Quite often, structures like this are built in situ from the ground up, but we made the decision to fabricate the pylon off site, in one go, in a factory environment, which enabled us to better control conditions, get a better quality of finish, and avoid the need for people to work at a height.  Doing it this way means that we needed to transport the pylon from Belgium and then lift it into place, which has been challenging, but the result is this great civil engineering spectacle here today.”

Standing at twice the height of Nelson’s Column and bigger than Big Ben’s clock tower, the pylon will be visible from some considerable distance on both sides of the river, as well as from the A19.

Councillor Paul Watson, Leader of Sunderland City Council, said the raising operation was a sight to behold.

He said: “I think this is the moment we have all been waiting for, when we see this impressive structure raised up over the River Wear.

“Our new bridge is really taking shape now. We can get a real impression of how the bridge is going to look once it’s complete.

“The New Wear Crossing will help improve traffic flow across the city from the A19 through to the city centre and the Port of Sunderland and create huge opportunities for regeneration and investment along the river bank, so it’s wonderful to see it progressing so well.”

The movement and raising of the pylon is being carried out by Sarens, a world leader in heavy lifting and engineered transport, in partnership with FVB.

The new bridge will link Castletown to the north of the River Wear with Pallion to the south, and will have dual two-lane carriageways for vehicles, as well as dedicated cycle and pedestrian routes. It will enhance public transport, as well as significantly improve the important transport links to the city centre and Port of Sunderland from the A19 and A1.

It is on track to open in the spring of 2018.

People are being asked not to fly drones in the area throughout the two-day raising process. The flying of drones without a licence and permission of the landowner is potentially illegal and dangerous, and in this instance could hamper operations or lead to an accident.

All drone operators must be aware of the rules set out by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) regarding drone flights, and follow the guidelines. For additional information, go to www.dronesafe.uk

Further information about this release:

For further information, contact Karen Westcott or Chris Taylor at DTW on 07545 210067/07949 287356, or email Karen@dtw.co.uk or chris@dtw.co.uk

Wear Crossing Moves Vertical

The impressive centrepiece to Sunderland’s new bridge arrived into the Port of Sunderland on Saturday, January 7^th 2017.

Constructed from more than 1,000 tonnes of steel and 550 tonnes of concrete, the A-frame pylon was transported by barge across the North Sea from the Port of Ghent in Belgium.

In the coming weeks, it will travel up the River Wear to the site in Pallion, where it will be raised vertically into position.

Paul Watson of Sunderland City Council said:

‘Seeing the pylon here in Sunderland for the first time makes me personally feel very proud of all the work that has been put in by a lot of people to turn this project into a reality.

There is still a lot of work to be done, but I’d like to say thank you to everyone involved who has ensured that we have got this far – on time and within budget.’

The bridge, which is being built by Farrans Construction and Victor Buyck Steel Construction, known as FVB Joint Venture, is expected to be completed by spring 2018.

Roughan & O’Donovan and Buro Happold Engineering are leading the design team in support of the FVB Joint Venture.

Footage of the pylon leaving the Victor Buyck fabrication yard in Belgium and making its way to the Port of Ghent, followed by preparations for its journey across the North Sea, is here.

John Paul presented the findings of his research masters degree to Engineers Ireland in May. His study indicates that regional drainage policy is failing us. In Dublin, the key impediments to the effective implementation of SuDS policy include; a lack of public awareness of SuDS, a lack of appropriate policies promoting SuDS and an absence of strong governance processes underpinning SuDS policy in Dublin. It is clear that the advent of Irish Water provides new challenges and opportunities for the adoption of successful stormwater management policies.

His findings are based on; analysis of forty peer reviewed Irish and International academic papers, his ideas and experiences as a designer of SuDS systems for the public and private sectors and structured interviews with practitioners in each of the four Dublin Local Authorities and Irish Water.

The works for the Old Rail Trail included conservation measures for protected structures at both Moate and Castletown Stations. The rehabilitation of these stations will ensure the railway heritage is retained for generations to come. The majority of the over 40 bridges along the Old Rail Trail, which are mainly of masonry stone arch construction, were in excellent condition but some did require bespoke parapet railings and three required new bridge decks.

ROD-AECOM is continuing to provide services to TII for the Galway to Dublin Cycleway project, including for a new pedestrian and cycling footbridge across the Shannon in Athlone.

ROD was the consulting engineer for the scheme and completed the preliminary design, the Environmental Impact Statement and Natura Impact Statement, and provided assistance with the Statutory Procedures. Clare County Council were the lead authority for the development, working jointly with (the then) North Tipperary County Council under a Section 85 agreement.
Almost three years after the application for judicial review, the Court delivered its decision on May 4th 2016. The Court’s decision was to refuse the subject application, therefore accepting the granting of permission by the Board for the scheme.

Nature of the Legal challenge
The case was an important one for the planning process relating to major infrastructure schemes in Ireland, and to the application of the relevant EIA Directive (2011/92/EU) in particular. The three joint respondents were An Bord Pleanála, Ireland and the Attorney General and the key items of the case were (i) failure by the respondents to identify or deal adequately with a site hosting an alluvial woodland which qualifies as an Annex I priority natural habitat, (ii) that an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) carried out by the Board was deficient and (iii) that the Board erred in law by attaching a condition to the consent authorising the management of construction of the development without assessing a construction management plan and relevant mitigation measures.

The High Court decision
The decision included key findings that there was no significant adverse impact to any area of Annex I priority natural habitat, that the area in question was outside the adjacent Lower Shannon Special Area of Conservation and that there was no obligation on the State to commence the process of designation of the site once an area of Annex I priority habitat was identified adjacent to it. This last point related to the issue of “shadow protection”. Whereas it was accepted by the court that the adjacent site of priority habitat existed, the court found that the State has adequately addressed its obligations for sufficient designation of alluvial woodland habitats throughout the national territory. A key finding here is that not every site which exists must be included on the list of proposed Sites of Community Interest furnished by a Member State under Article 5 of the Habitats Directive.

The EIA which the Board carried out included consideration of the EIS and NIS submitted, together with supplementary information requested in the lead up to and at the oral hearing. In finding in favour of the Board on this point, the court commented on the legality of the Board’s decision rather than on its correctness. However the court was satisfied that the Board had received comprehensive technical and factual information as part of the process, and had relied on a “comprehensive body of information and had ample information before it when reaching its decision to grant consent….”.
With regard to the third key item in the case, the court rejected the suggestion that the Board was not entitled to attach the condition relating to the proposed construction management plan. The court noted that the process of including the condition was entirely transparent and was exercised on an evidential basis including consideration of the extensive mitigation measures proposed by the developer and his advisors.

Further Appeal
Clare County Council has subsequently received notice of the appellant’s intention to appeal the High Court’s decision. Accordingly, there will be further delay before the people of Killaloe and Ballina will have the benefit of this bypass scheme.