Major Milestone in the Successful Delivery of the Ballybrakes XL 122 to 126 User Worked Crossing Closure Project

Title: Ballybrakes XL 122 to 126 User Worked Crossing Closure Project

Principal Contractor: FP McCann Ltd.

Contracts Manager: Hamilton Walker

Client: Northern Ireland Railways (Translink)

Principal Designer: Amey Consulting

Project Manager: Martin Quigg (Amey Consulting)

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FP McCann Ballybrakes User Worked Crossing Project

FP McCann Completed Bridge Beam Install User Worked Crossing Closure Ballybrakes X122 to 126

FP McCann Completed Bridge Beam Install Ballybrakes Translink

In the early hours of Sunday morning 03^rd July 2022, FP McCann successfully completed the installation of the 15.2m long precast concrete pre-stressed bridge beams on the new railway overbridge under construction on behalf of Translink outside Ballymoney as part of the XL 122 to 126 User Worked Crossing Closure Project. A Major milestone in the successful delivery of this project.

The 15.2m long bridge beams supplied by Banagher Precast Concrete were installed within an 8-hour railway line possession utilising a Liebherr LTM 1220-5.1 mobile crane supplied by the Tusker Construction Group working at a 22m slewing radius with maximum beam weights of 22.42T. In addition to the bridge beam installation, a proprietary ‘Ultraguard’ guardrail system was also installed during the rail possession to the bridge edge beams to allow the remaining bridge construction works to be completed during normal working hours and train movements. In preparation for the bridge beam installation, FP McCann employed Design ID to undertake and complete a Category 3 Temporary Works Crane platform design to NR/L2/CIV/003, which following Translink approval was then constructed adjacent to the bridge structure. Just in time delivery was utilised to avoid site congestion or affect local residents or road users. The Bridge beams were therefore delivered direct to site from the Banagher manufacturing facility in Co. Offaly on the night of installation. For the safe access and egress to the site by the heavy haulage company delivering the beams on extended length trombone trailers, a lane closure on the Ballybrakes Road as pre-agreed with DfI Roads Service was installed and managed throughout the night by FP McCann Traffic Management Operatives.

Following our last update on the XL 122 to 126 User Worked Crossing Closure Project in March 2022 (link to previous article), as well as achieving the major milestone of installing the bridge beams over the railway, FP McCann have completed construction of 2no. ‘MacWall – Vertica’ Earth Retaining Structures either side of the rail line to support the new bridge access ramps.

The Earth Retaining Wall was designed by Maccaferri on behalf of FP McCann and consisted of 3260no. Macwall – Vertica 4 degree concrete facing blocks, and 2360m2 of Paragrid 50/15 geogrid reinforcement supplied by Maccaferri with 4800t of Class 6I granular fill imported by FP McCann from their Bradley’s Quarry, located in nearby Kilrea. The walls were constructed 4.5m from the live running railway (which remained fully operational throughout the construction of the walls) to an average height from running rail of approximately 5.5m. The walls were constructed in layers dictated by the wall design, with the granular Class 6I backfill material (once compacted in accordance with the MCHW) then stabilised through the introduction of paragrid reinforcement layers behind the concrete block facing units. The design theory of the wall being that the larger the stabilised earth/granular material mass, the more material can be retained or held back. The geosynthetic reinforcement layers extend past the theoretical failure plane and serves to create a large, rectangular mass of block and earth/granular material, restraining the retained embankments. Both walls were constructed within a 5-week period.

In addition to the Bridge Beam installation and Earth Retaining wall construction, the following works have also been completed onsite since our last project update:

2no. reinforced concrete pile caps have been formed on top of the previously installed 450mm dia. CFA piles,
4no. reinforced concrete bridge support columns have been constructed with precast concrete sleeving rings then installed,
2no. reinforced concrete column capping/seating beams have been installed,
Temporary Piling access roads and platforms have been removed with lands reinstated,
All remaining drainage has been completed.