Barmouth – A project to be Proud of

Griffiths is upgrading the iconic Barmouth Railway Viaduct. We are carrying out the biggest restoration of the Viaduct in its history. Our upgrade will protect the well-loved bridge for future generations and maintain its magnificent appearance. The structure is constructed in 2 sections – a 113 span timber bridge and a 4 span metallic bridge. In total its length is 820 meters.

At over 150 years old, the viaduct is in poor condition. We have already refurbished the 113 spans of the timber Viaduct and this was completed in Christmas 2021.

Now we are replacing the 4 metallic spans as well as refurbishing the substructure. The railway is closed for a 12 week blockade between 2nd September to 25th November, and the teams are based at Morfa Compound (south side of Viaduct) and at Marine Parade (north side of viaduct).

The method of demolishing the old structure and installing the new structure is innovative and unique. A temporary railway line was built in the site compound to trial the installation and transport of the main spans in order to carry out practice runs.  The demolition of the old spans and installation of the new spans is done by using a long temporary steel truss as the working area, complete with gantry cranes. The demolished old bridge is being lowered onto pontoons and transported away on sea.

We are now at the end of week 3 out of 12 weeks and the work is on programme. The project is challenging as the work can be adversely affected by wind speeds (anything over 29 mph) and tidal conditions as well as low and high tides. We are in good shape with our hard-working teams and our supply chain who are driving this forward.

  

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