Milestone passed in project to ease congestion

The recent pouring of a new bridge deck saw a major milestone passed in a project to dual another 1.7km section of the A256 at Sandwich in Kent.

The dualling of the road will improve access to existing businesses and enhance opportunities for regeneration and future development in the area, including London Manston Airport.

The work is being carried out as part of the £9.87m East Kent Phase 1C partnering contract with Kent County Council and Jacobs. The work is a continuation of Phase 1A, which was completed by May Gurney in December 2004.

The road crosses Stonar Cut, a flood relief channel of the tidal River Stour, to the north of Sandwich. The Cut and sluices were built under an enabling Act of 1776, which still governs the design and operation of the sluices.

The new bridge - to take the southbound carriageway over the Cut - required new sluice gates to be constructed further downstream and the original sluices to be demolished.

A number of existing services also had to be diverted including the potable and foul water mains, which were moved by May Gurney Utility Services.

In January 2006, piling works commenced to enable the new sluice gates to be constructed inside a cofferdam. The new sluice gates, structure and stilling slab - supported on steel H-piles driven into the dense Thanet Sand - were commissioned in December 2006.

Steel sheet piles were driven adjacent to the original river brick walls to allow construction of the piling platform for the CFA rigs.

In February 2007, 14 No. 750mm diameter CFA piles were installed by May Gurney's piling division to support the new bridge abutments. The insitu concrete abutments were then poured and 15 No. precast concrete beams were installed on 22 March - and the new bridge deck poured on 13 April.

Once the concrete is cured the bridge deck can be waterproofed, allowing EDF to carry out the final service diversion of 3 No. 33kV cables.

This will pave the way for completion of another section of new dual carriageway, thereby further easing congestion on this busy section of road. The public enquiry for Phase 2 has already been held, and construction in due to start in 2009.

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