When Swindon Borough Council needed a replacement for an ageing panel bridge on Shaw Farm, they selected a Mabey Compact 200™ (C200™) from Acrow as the best option to replace the structure, which provides maintenance access to an adjacent solar installation. In addition to the speed of construction and cost-effectiveness of their reliable, high-quality modular solutions, Acrow’s extensive experience working with older panel bridge designs made them a good partner for the project.

The C200 selected for the project is 15.24 metres long by 3.15 metres wide, with an anti-skid deck and customised Mabey SmartEdge® safety infill panels. SmartEdge is a low-cost way to add personalised graphics to a galvanized steel panel that attaches to the bridge decks as an attractive alternative to
more traditional safety options such as wire mesh.

Acrow’s compact modular steel components were particularly well suited to the constricted site. Owing to overhead cables, no crane lifting was permissable. Instead, a simultaneous de-launch of the old bridge and launch of the new C200 was used. This involved the old bridge being jacked up and rollers placed underneath. Then, one bay at a time, the new bridge was attached at the rear and the structure pushed forward, enabling one bay of the old bridge to be removed from the front. This was repeated, using the old bridge as support for the new bridge until it was launched to its final position, before the new bridge was jacked onto its bearings.

The bridge was provided to project contractor Fergal Contracting Co. Ltd. Assembly and installation took place over a four-day period in the summer of 2023, with Acrow’s technical advisors on site to provide technical support.