Date : 20/07/2010

BIDEFORD CANTILEVER WALKWAY STRENGTHENING

REPLACEMENT OF THE EXISTING CANTILEVER WALKWAY
1.

Existing Structure
New Road was widened to its present width during the repair works that were
carried out to Bideford Longbridge in 1969/70. The repair work to the bridge
was required after two spans nearest the town side collapsed in January
1968.
New road was widened by cantilevering out over the River Torridge. Seven
reinforced concrete roadbeams cast under and across New Road extend
out over the river and carry edge beams similar to those on the Longbridge.
The gap between the edge beams and the quay wall is filled with a reinforced
concrete slab which carries the footpath. The parapet comprises a masonry
wall to the north half of the cantilever, which is an extension of the bridge
parapet and steel railings between brick/masonry piers to the south half. The
cantilever and parapet are shown in Plate 1.
The existing river wall is constructed of masonry and extends for a length of
approximately 60m southwards from the bridge where it is replaced by a
sloping stone revetment.
.

Plate 1 Cantilever Walkway extending out over river.

Bideford Cantilever Walkway Supporting Information

Document Reference : SI 1

Date : 20/07/2010

2.

Reasons for Replacement

Strength of Cantilever Walkway.
The cantilever walkway was assessed for strength in 2002 at the same time
as Bideford Longbridge.
Structures on the UK road network are generally assessed for 40 tonnes
loading and the result of the assessment showed that the existing
Roadbeams that cross under New Road are only adequate to carry 3 tonnes
loading.
The reinforced concrete edge beams and the reinforced concrete slab were
assessed as adequate to carry 7.5 tonne loading.
Following this assessment, as a temporary measure, steel bollards were
installed along the edge of the footpath carried by the cantilever to prevent
vehicles riding up or parking on the footpath.
Bideford Longbridge was also assessed as inadequate for strength and a
scheme was developed to strengthen both the bridge and the cantilever.
The scheme to strengthen the bridge was eventually abandoned in favour of
a repair option which was completed in 2009.
A 3 tonne weight limit remains on the Bideford Longbridge but this is not an
option for the Cantilever Walkway as this is now the only route for HGV
vehicles through the town.

Condition of Cantilever Walkway

A Principal inspection of the cantilever walkway was carried out in 2001 and
again in 2007 to assess the condition and deterioration of the structure.
The Roadbeams are generally in poor condition with cracking evident on the
soffit and rust staining on the faces (See plate 2).

Plate 2 Typical Roadbeam showing rust staining and cracking.

Bideford Cantilever Walkway Supporting Information

Document Reference : SI 1

Date : 20/07/2010

All the road beams have steel plates bolted to the faces below the position of
the edge beams. These are believed to have been installed because of the
cracking to strengthen the beams where they are most highly loaded.
The edge beams have been painted in the past with an acrylic type coating
which tends to hide defects and also to trap water which tends to accelerate
deterioration. They are in poor condition with significant cracking in the soffit
of most beams caused by corrosion of reinforcement (See plate 3).

Plate 3 Typical Edgebeam showing rust staining and cracking.

The reinforced concrete slabs between the edge beams and the quay wall
are generally in good condition with some minor spalling of the concrete face
and areas of rust staining.

Materials investigation of Cantilever Walkway.

In November 2009 a materials investigation was carried out on the cantilever
to explore the extent of reinforcement corrosion and determine the cause of
the cracking in the roadbeams.
The investigation reported that corrosion was significant and ongoing and
that the potential for additional corrosion was high.
It was also determined that the cause of the cracking in the road beams was
due to Alkali Silica Reaction (ASR) which is an expansive chemical reaction
between the cement and aggregate used in the concrete.
The conclusion of the report was that repair of the concrete elements of the
cantilever would be a short to medium term solution (15 years maximum) and
that a long term solution would require replacement.

Bideford Cantilever Walkway Supporting Information

Document Reference : SI 1

Date : 20/07/2010

Stability Assessment of Existing River Wall

A site investigation was carried out in 2007 to determine the geometry of the
existing river wall so that its stability could be assessed.
It was determined that based on current design standards the wall could not
be relied on in the medium long term. This was because as a free standing
structure the wall is not stable and requires additional support to prevent it
moving forward. This support is currently provided by a number of steel
anchors installed during the 1970s widening of New Road. Additional
support is also offered by the footway slab that rests on top of the wall
The condition of the anchors cannot be assessed and their integrity cannot
be relied on in the short to medium term.

Summary of Investigation and Assessment

The existing Cantilever Walkway structure is weak and in poor condition. The
existing river wall cannot be relied on in the short to medium term to provide
support to the footway and carriageway of New Road. A number of options
for repair/strengthening were considered before adopting the proposed
solution. One option was a repair scheme similar to that recently carried out
on Bideford Longbridge which employed a cathodic protection system to
prolong the life of concrete repairs.
However repair of the cantilever has been rejected for the following reasons:
a) Concrete repairs are unlikely to last more than 15 years and are
therefore not a cost effective solution. In addition the deterioration of the
road beams is quite significant and in order to repair them the edge
beams would need to be propped. This would add significant cost to any
repair scheme and would not provide good value for money.
b) Concrete repairs in association with cathodic protection are much more
effective and have a significantly longer lifespan and have been used on
Bideford Longbridge. However propping works would still be required
adding significantly to the cost. Also cathodic protection is not suitable for
application to concrete suffering from ASR and therefore could not be
used for the Roadbeams.
c) Repair of the concrete will not increase the strength of the cantilever and
unlike the Bideford Longbridge it is not possible to apply a weight limit to
New Road as it is the only route for heavy goods vehicles.
d) The existing river wall cannot be relied upon to provide adequate support
to the footpath and carriageway and would therefore need to be
strengthened.

Bideford Cantilever Walkway Supporting Information

Document Reference : SI 1

Date : 20/07/2010

3.

Proposed Scheme.
It is proposed to demolish and remove the existing cantilever and replace it
with a new rock anchored sheet piled faced wall.
Demolition
Before demolition commences the existing bridge masonry parapet will be
carefully recorded and taken down to be stored off site. This will be
reconstructed once the new river wall has been built. The existing
brick/masonry pilasters between the metal railing parapet will also be
carefully removed and stored. The existing metal posts and railings are in
poor condition and it is proposed to replace them.
Once the parapet has been removed the edge beams will be removed by
either breaking up in situ or cutting up and removing off site. The ends of the
Roadbeams where they protrude from the existing quay wall will be
removed by similar means.

Reconstruction
Once demolition has been carried out a new sheet pile wall will be installed
along the line of the original edge beams. Backfill will be placed between the
new sheet pile wall and old quay wall. This will be done sequentially with the
installation of rock anchors to the front face of the sheet pile wall. These rock
anchors are required to anchor the wall back into rock and prevent it moving
forward from the effect of the earth pressures behind.
A reinforced concrete capping beam will be cast to the top of the sheet piles
to match the appearance of the edge beams that were removed and a
reinforced concrete slab cast to replace the one that was removed and to
carry the reinstated footpath.
The sheet pile wall will be clad with an in-situ reinforced concrete wall with a
masonry surface finish and will look very similar to the existing quay wall.
The masonry parapet that was taken down earlier will be reconstructed and
the brick/masonry pilasters rebuilt with new parapet railings and posts. The
footpath will be reconstructed and the site reinstated to its original condition.
It has been agreed with the Environment Agency that the existing sloping
stone revetment, forming the west bank of the River Torridge, may be
extended northwards by 15 metres. This will decrease the length of new
anchored wall required and provide a significant saving in the cost of the
project. The new revetment will be constructed from masonry over a granular
fill embankment to match the existing appearance.

Traffic Management Plan

In order to carry out the demolition of the existing cantilever and to provide a
safety zone to the edge of the demolition it is necessary to reduce the width
of New Road. However it is proposed to keep New Road open to traffic but to
restrict it to two lanes only to gain the required working space.
The riverside footpath along New Road will be closed from the roundabout at
the west end of Bideford Longbridge for approximately 130 metres.
Pedestrians will be able to cross New Road safely at a temporary Zebra
crossing to be installed at the south end of the construction site. The safety of
this crossing will be further enhanced by extending the existing 20 mph zone
southwards beyond this crossing point. The existing parking bays will be
removed from this length of New Road.
Bideford Cantilever Walkway Supporting Information

Document Reference : SI 1

Date : 20/07/2010

The existing dedicated right turn onto Bideford Longbridge from the southern
leg of the mini roundabout will have to be removed to allow two-way traffic to
operate and this will also entail the temporary removal of the bollards at this
roundabout.
The southern footpath over Bideford Longbridge will be closed to pedestrians
and a new permanent Pelican crossing will be installed at the east end of the
bridge to allow pedestrians to cross safely.

Bideford Cantilever Walkway Supporting Information

Document Reference : SI 1