FP McCann Bespoke Design Precast Concrete Portal Frame System installed on Towcester Relief Road Project
Status: In progress
Location: Towcester Relief Road, Towcester, Northamptonshire
Products Supplied: Portal Frame System
Main Contractor: Kauto Civils
FP McCann is currently supplying its largest precast concrete portal frame system which is being installed as part of a brand new relief road under construction to ease traffic congestion through the Northamptonshire town of Towcester.
The new road which is being funded by national housebuilder Persimmon Homes, will also pave the way for a planned development of 2,750 new homes. Construction of the relief road which will link the existing A5 and A43 trunk roads is ahead of schedule and completion is expected early in 2023.
Leicester based civil engineering specialist Kauto Civils Ltd is installing the FP McCann precast concrete portal frame system and constructing the relief road on behalf of Persimmon Homes and South Northamptonshire County Council. The structure bridges an existing water course together with providing a short bridle path diversion beneath the new road. The bespoke precast concrete portal frame system being delivered from FP McCann’s Byley factory in Cheshire and procured via Derbyshire based Construction Lines, will form the completed bridge with internal dimensions measuring 8.0 metres wide and 4.85 metres high.
In conjunction with partnering consultant engineers RPS Group, the Kauto Civils engineering team contacted FP McCann early in the design stage to explore the options for utilising an off-site built precast concrete system as opposed to spanning the watercourse and bridle path with a bridge constructed in situ. FP McCann’s team of engineers at Weston Underwood, Derbyshire, provided the design option along with structural calculations, the eventual design then being approved by South Northamptonshire C.C. Highways team.
The main portal frame system consists of 30 no. ‘L’ footing units, each weighing approximately 10.27 tonnes and 15 no. ‘N’ shaped upper units each weighing approximately 28.10 tonnes. The external side walls have a bitumen latex emulsion applied to act as a waterproof membrane. The Kauto Civils team are off-loading and installing the portal frame system utilising a specialist 500 tonne lifting capacity crane.
Commenting on the install, Mark Stokes, Project Manager for Kauto Civils says, “This bespoke design precast concrete portal frame system has provided the ideal engineering solution to construct this watercourse and bridle path crossing. The off-site quality assured manufactured precast concrete products together with their long-life, low maintenance benefits, gives us peace of mind that we have put in place a very robust bridge structure. The units were simply and quickly installed, demonstrating the flexibility that precast concrete portal frame system can offer in such large civil engineering projects.”
For further information on FP McCann’s bespoke solutions, contact our team at Weston Underwood 01335 361269 or email sales@fpmccann.co.uk
