Summary
The ambitious Northern Spire Bridge is the latest project in the ongoing rejuvenation of Sunderland. At over £117 million, it’s one of the region’s largest civil engineering projects in recent history. Farrans contacted ATG Group for a solution to contamination found during initial construction.
The Challenge
The riverbed required dredging to allow works for the bridge’s deep foundations to begin. The initial plan was to:
- Dredge the sediments out of the river
- Transfer the material into a constructed bund
- Transfer the material into trucks to be taken to landfill
With dredging underway, the excavated material was found to be more contaminated than originally expected. As a result, the Environment Agency found the plans to manage it unacceptable. This meant that works had to be stopped.
Farrans contacted ATG Group to come up with a new method that was acceptable to the Environment Agency and would get the works started again.
The Solution
We created a tailored plan to manage the hazardous dredge which met the Environment Agency’s expectations. It was also cost-effective for Farrans.
Our plan involved:
- Stockpiling the dredge materials within a lined bund to lower the water content
- Once safe, transport the material to a hazardous waste treatment facility
- After treatment, the materials were reused for landfill capping