The Saltford Water Recycling Centre, owned by Wessex Water (YTL Group), treats sewage and wastewater from Bath and the surrounding area. With a need to increase capacity and to meet enhanced regulations to improve river water quality, an expansion of the facility was planned, the first phase of which was the construction of a new access road with a bridge to span the River Avon. A new route from the Centre to the A431 was required as the existing access was inadequate for lorries.

The modular steel Mabey Delta™ bridge supplied by Acrow is 58.50 metres long and 4.2 metres wide, with a 1.5-metre external footwalk. The bridge footwalk features a Mabey SmartEdge® System, a low-cost parapet safety solution which adds personalised graphics to the bridge as an attractive alternative to more traditional safety options.

Acrow’s robust, rapidly installed structure proved a cost-effective and environmentally-friendly solution for the project. As the single-span bridge did not require intermediate piers, disruption of the riverbed could be avoided. The cantilever bridge launch method enabled construction on a small site footprint with light equipment, which further reduced the impact to the environment.

Construction began in September 2023 and the bridge was launched the following month. Acrow provided full installation services and has been contracted to carry out the annual visual inspections of the bridge, in accordance with UK legislation.

The overall bridge scheme was awarded the ICE South West Project under £10m New Build Award, impressing judges for its significant long-term investment in the ecology of the area.