Forder Valley Viaduct Bridge
A6 Manchester Airport Relief Road
The Forder Valley Link Road is a new link between the A38 highway and the area north of Plymouth. The roadway serves as a key infrastructure project, unlocking growth and accommodating the new residential, leisure, retail, and health facilities planned over the next 15 years. A significant bridge was required to span the Forder Valley floor, Aecom designed a 140m long 4-span integral structure which was supported at each abutment on concrete columns, the columns would be sleeved through Reinforced Earth walls to isolate the loads generated from column displacement. Reinforced Earth Co. Ltd. (RECo) designed and supplied the 11m high abutment walls using its polymeric soil reinforcing strap system (GeoStrap). Due to the discrete nature of the soil reinforcement it is easy and cost effective to pass the straps between the bridge support columns without effecting the structural capacity of the system. High tenacity polymeric soil reinforcement and the 140mm thick precast concrete facings of the structure combine to provide a considerable reduction in CO2 emissions over other options for the retaining walls. Shortly after completion the scheme was named Transportation Project of the Year in the CIHT (Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation) South West Regional Awards.
the airport had to be built in heavily congested areas, an 11m high Reinforced Earth true bridge abutment was constructed at the intersection with Styal Road which supported a semi- integral bridge over the existing electrified railway line.
Reinforced Earth Co Ltd (RECo) were employed to design and supply the materials for 3,700 m² of retaining walls and bridge abutments together with coping units on several structures ranging from rail to foot bridges. Particular structures close to
The A6 to Manchester Airport Relief Road (A6 MARR) provided 6 miles of new two lane dual-carriageway on an east-west route from the A6 to Manchester Airport and the link road to the M56.
(photograph courtesy of Jamie Haigh)
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