England
Army Engineers Install Temporary Bridge for Community Devastated by Storms

Extreme weather in the North-West of England in November 2009 caused havoc in many communities. One of the worst effected was the town of Workington which stands either side of the River Derwent. Two stone-arch bridges, 100 years old, provided a vital link between the communities. Without the bridges, access from one side of the river to the other involved a 30 km journey through country lanes.

The force of the water cascading through the town demolished one bridge and so severely structurally damaged and under scouring the foundations of the second bridge, that the authorities had no option but to close it.

The British Government provided funding and the British Army was called upon to show its engineering capabilities. It took the Army just over one week to install a temporary footbridge, which was officially handed over to the residents of Workington in Cumbria in December 2009.

The bridge installed was the well proven Mabey & Johnson design, which is used by the British Army around the world because it has proven to be easy to erect, safe and extremely durable. The modular steel panel bridge, in various configuration, has been supplied to over more than 115 countries worldwide.

Armed Forces Minister, Bill Rammell, cut the ribbon to open the bridge, which has been named "The Barker Crossing", in memory of local policeman, PC Bill Barker, who was swept away while preventing people from trying to cross the damaged bridge, during the height of the storms.

The Army made rapid progress with the construction of a new a footbridge to link the communities of north and south Workington. Although only a footbridge it did provide some means of access to essential services and amenities.
Engineering and surveying work had to be completed to identify the best position for the new bridge. The banks have been badly eroded by the shear volume of water, the position had to provide a convenient link to existing access ways either side of the river and it had to be put in place as quickly as possible.

The location of the bridge, approximately 300 m upstream (east) of the old Calva Bridge, was chosen at a relatively narrow point of the river, where the river banks were structurally sound. The 51 m long, 110 t. bridge is not intended for motor vehicles - it is a pedestrian footbridge rather than something designed to sustain heavy traffic. This did make choosing the location simpler.

Construction work first started on the north bank of the River Derwent. Because heavy transporters and construction equipment had to use the restricted access roads into the town, the works did cause some disruption to local residents. However, the Royal Engineers minimised this by deciding to erect sections alongside the river rather than transport them in.

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