POLCEVERA COLLAPSE - GENOA DISASTER EXPOSES MAJOR ENGINEERING VULNERABILITIES
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Inside: Facing Down The Floods p29 Interview: Sir James Bevan p20
New Civil Engineer
S E P T E M B E R 201 8
POLCEVERA COLLAPSE
GENOA DISASTER EXPOSES MAJOR ENGINEERING VULNERABILITIES
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Drainage
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go.innovyze.com/fresh-look
New Civil Engineer
MAINTENANCE IS KEY TO
PREVENT ANOTHER POLCEVERA
MARK HANSFORD
EDITOR
structure such as the Polcevera viaduct in Genoa In the UK, every structure, from culverts under roads to multi-span
A should never, ever collapse. Anywhere in the world. It
certainly should never happen in a western European
country such as Italy.
viaducts, must be visually inspected every two years. Every six years
they must be investigated by people within hand touching distance of
the components, with reports made on their condition, followed up by
Investigations into the cause of the collapse will be programmed and budgeted corrective maintenance works.
thorough and will be pored over by bridge engineers worldwide. Al- The owner and operator of Morandi’s bridge, Autostrade, has in-
ready a number of theories are circulating – but until the investigation sisted it was aware of this need, and that it, too, had its bridge under
is completed, it is only possible to speculate. routine maintenance and constant surveillance. Clearly a large part of
“
What should be said is that the Polcevera viaduct was amazing in the investigation needs to focus on just what that maintenance and
its time, and its designer, Riccardo Morandi, was a genuine innovator. surveillance was, and how it was deemed sufficient.
New Civil Engineer’s founding editor, Sydney Lenssen, visited the
Genoa viaduct in 1965 and insists it was a miracle in its day. And he re-
calls that despite reservations about the “unusual design”, Morandi’s
Many bridges of that era are in
ambition was infectious and he was heralded as a genius at the time.
Morandi was determined to explore the concept that evolved into
the same situation because no
cable-stayed technology and was equally determined to push the use
of prestressed concrete.
bridge designers of that era foresaw the
Clearly it would never be built in the same way today. Cable stay long-term durability issues and excessive
technology has massively advanced. But that does not mean Morandi
designed a bad bridge. traffic loads. No one did.
It is now emerging that Morandi’s bridge has required considerable
maintenance over the years – we have pictures that clearly show strap-
ping around many critical beams, and have confirmed that plans were But back here in the UK there is no room for complacency. Despite
in place to strap the section that failed. the warnings from the Humber, Severn and others, and despite the
There is no shame in that: many bridges of that era are in the same lauded inspection regime, the Hammersmith flyover nearly became an
situation, principally because no bridge designers of that era foresaw international incident of our own when major defects were detected
the long-term durability issues and excessive traffic loads that would just before the start of the 2012 Olympics – prompting immediate clo-
affect their structures. No one did. sure and urgent remedial works.
In the aftermath of Polcevera, Highways England has reassured road Some clever, award-winning engineering has now restored that
users that its bridges of that are age under control. But that is only structure to full use, but it was a very near-thing at the time.
because here in the UK we have had our warnings and acted on them: So that has to be the lesson. There are thousands of 1960s and 1970s
severe cable corrosion first detected in the Humber Bridge warned bridges worldwide, many of them as unique as Morandi’s in their de-
that the Severn and Forth Road bridges may need intensive remedial sign, and all of them in various states of (dis)repair. Keeping them go-
works and constant, 24-7, monitoring. In all three cases dehumification ing is clearly going to become an ever more invaluable skill.
of tendons and acoustic monitoring keep the structures serviceable. l Mark Hansford is New Civil Engineer’s editor
A U G U S T 2 01 8 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 3
Contents
NEW CIVIL ENGINEER SEPTEMBER 2018
MAGAZINE OF THE INSTITUTION OF CIVIL ENGINEERS
03 Comment, 29 World View:
Analysis & News Facing Down The Floods
06 Lighthouse: How engineers can help
cities to change
16 Experts dismissed Florida bridge
cracks hours before collapse
22 Your View: ICE governance
procedures divide membership
08 Special Report:
Polcevera
Viaduct Collapse
The latest thinking on flood management is to accept the
inevitability of nature. That means coastal villages in the UK
accepting they cannot hold back the sea, while London and
08 Structure’s vulnerabilities revealed New York are tackling the problem through design.
09 Plans reveal viaduct was to be scrapped
10 Blue skies, police, debris and twisted 30 Overview: accepting that flooding 38 New Civil Engineer’s Flood
remains: Report from the scene is inevitable is the first step in Management Forum line-up
preparing areas for a quick recovery revealed
12 Construction images reveal
structure’s complexity 34 New York is designing a defence 40 Debate: The future for Sustainable
system that works for all, London is Drainage Systems appears rosier in
14 Highways England reassures UK planning for the next century the wake of new government policy
road users
4 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | SEPTEMBER 2018
eer
Engin
New C
ivil
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20 Interview: 24 Business EDITORIAL TEAM
Sir James Bevan Culture
EDITORIAL ENQUIRIES
Email: nceedit@emap.com
Editor
Mark Hansford
(020) 3953 2821 mark.hansford
Deputy Editor
Alexandra Wynne
(020) 3953 2822 alexandra.wynne
Contributing Editor
Jackie Whitelaw
jackie.whitelaw@btinternet.com
Associate Editor
Emily Ashwell
(020) 3953 2094 emily.ashwell
20 The chief executive of the 24 How Bryden Wood is saving clients News Editor
Rob Horgan
Environment Agency discusses the time and money by breaking down (020) 3953 2087 rob.horgan
challenges he faces as climate change projects and building them off-site
Technical Reporter
continues its impact Katherine Smale (020) 3953 2044
katherine.smale
44 Tech 49 Market Chief Sub Editor
Excellence Report Andy Bolton
(020) 3953 2823 | andy.bolton
Designer
James McCarthy
james.mccarthy@emap.com
Graphic Artist
Anthea Carter
ben.anth@lunestudio.co.uk
Technical Editor Emeritus
Dave Parker
dave.parker
CUSTOMER SERVICES
customerservices@nce.co.uk
44 How two inflatable weirs are 49 Infrastructure Insight report
protecting Leeds city centre from in association with McGinley
future flooding Support Services
S E P T E M B E R 2 018 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 5
Lighthouse
ICE VIEWPOINT
Engineers can
help cities adapt
to change
“
t is not unusual for Resilience is a much wider Civil engineers
I
the British to talk issue than dealing with extreme
about the weather. In weather events. We know that play a valuable
fact, many consider it the global population is growing
a national pastime. – putting greater demands on our role in safeguarding
the future of the
However, the recent infrastructure – as much as we know
unprecedented temperatures – that some networks are beginning to
across not only the country but
much of the northern hemisphere BY ART WE
creak under the pressures of age.
Work is being done to mitigate
global population
– have made these meteorological MASTER this from various quarters.
musings a bit more urgent. W H AT W O U L D The ICE’s inclusive cities
Commuters sweltering on the MASTER US strand of thought leadership Engineering Conference – is helping
London Underground may seem work is investigating how cities urban leaders develop resilience
like an inconvenience but in Tokyo, can handle changes in usage, strategies, with Sydney unveiling
nearly 6,000 people have been resulting from factors such as the one earlier this year, following the
rushed to hospital with suspected night time economy, or changes examples of Bristol and Glasgow.
heatstroke or heat exhaustion since in users resulting from the ageing These strategies unite people,
April as the mercury hit more than population. This will help to develop projects and priorities to seek
41˚C. The pressures on our cities future resilience and inform the out new solutions for collective
can and will directly impact the decisions made by civil engineers on resilience challenges.
health and wellbeing of individual the ground. This way of thinking illustrates
inhabitants. Meanwhile, the National how civil engineers play a valuable
This summer has put our urban Infrastructure Commission has role in safeguarding the future of the
infrastructure under a particular published the National Infrastructure global population. By offering up
pressure and potentially questioned Assessment (NIA) which takes a their expertise and providing their
its resilience. But much as one long-term approach to planning and technical know-how, they are often
swallow doesn’t make a summer, one recognises the population and climate at the front end of these resilience
“
hot summer doesn’t make a crisis. challenges we face. strategies.
The NIA includes a clear desire With these separate initiatives
for investment in the transport setting the agenda and the work
This summer networks of city regions, while of civil engineers playing such an
has put our preparing for 100% electric vehicle
sales by 2030. Empowering city
important part in their success, we
can see yet again the profession’s
urban infrastructure regions to take charge of their own
infrastructure networks is an integral
potential to transform lives and
safeguard the future for all of us.
under a particular part of the ICE’s devolution agenda
and will help to build the resilience
Translating these initiatives and
activities into civil engineering
pressure and that the UK’s cities require. solutions will be one of the primary
The Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 bulwarks against the growing
potentially questioned resilient cities initiative – which challenges we face.
its resilience is involved with and which will be
speaking at the upcoming Global
l Send comments on the
Lighthouse to policy@ice.org.uk
6 N E W C I V I L E N G I N E E R | S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8
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POLCEVERA
Polcevera Viaduct Collapse VIADUCT COLLAPSE
Engineers reveal Milan
GENOA
Venice
A
structure’s
Corsica Adriatic S
Sea Po
ITALY
vulnerabilities
Tyrrhenian
Sea
Sardinia
N
Sicily 150km 1km
N
Katherine Smale 1.1km long viaduct, including one of
three 90m high towers collapsed on
in Genoa IN THIS 14 August during a thunder storm.
REPORT Engineers have suggested a
potential cause for its collapse
nvestigators examin- could be that the heavy rain washed
I
ing the scene of the p09 ground from underneath the tower, Polcevera
collapsed Polcevera Bridge was undermining its foundations. The River
viaduct, more familiar- mooted for bridge’s foundations were undergoing
ly known as Morandi strengthening works at the time of
bridge, have found damage and
replacement collapse, according to Italian high-
corrosion to the main stay cables on ways operator Autostrade. 250m collapsed section
the collapsed section of the bridge, p10 However, while one source close
New Civil Engineer can reveal. Report from to the investigation said that nothing Cables encased 90m
Sources close to the investigation was being ruled out at this stage, he in concrete
the scene
told New Civil Engineer that failure of said that the foundations for the col-
the cables – which were encased in lapsed tower “appeared to be stable”. 45m
concrete to protect them from the el- p 12 New Civil Engineer’s founding edi- Polcevera
River
ements – may be behind the collapse. The unusual tor Sydney Lenssen – who visited the
“I have heard that video footage structure site during its construction in 1965
from the CCTV cameras on the bridge explained – believes that other factors are more
just before the collapse showed likely to have caused the collapse.
concrete being exploded off the main Lenssen said: “It looks like the
p 14 Immediate concerns centre
stay because of the violence of some structure has collapsed around the
on the stability of the remaining
of the cables snapping underneath,” Lessons for foundations, rather than the founda-
viaduct
one investigation source said. the UK tions causing the collapse.
It comes after Italian fire chiefs “I suspect that one of the supports
expressed concern for the safety of from underneath has given away.
workers sifting through the rubble That or the cables above have suf-
beneath the remaining structure. fered from corrosion.”
Luca Ponticelli, a structural engi- Past president of the Institution of
neer for Italy’s national fire brigade Structural Engineers Ian Firth agreed
Corpo Nazionale dei Vigili del Fuoco, that corrosion of the cables was a
told New Civil Engineer that the likely cause of collapse.
bridge is now unbalanced. “As this reinforced and prestressed
“I’m sure that the elastic deforma- concrete bridge has been there for
tions on the pillar were immediately 50 years, it is possible that corrosion
absorbed at the collapse but now of tendons or reinforcement may be
new viscous or plastic deformations a contributory factor,” he said. “In
are progressing on the loaded side. addition, ongoing work on the bridge
“So it begs the question, is the may or may not be partly responsible
bridge able to bear this new load for the collapse.”
condition?” Autostrade has until the end of
Thirty-eight people were killed August to produce a report on its
when a 250m long deck section of the inspection and maintenance regime.
8 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | SEPTEMBER 2018
E
1967 1.1km 90m
Opened Total length Height of pylons ADDITIONAL EXTERNAL Viaduct operator
STEEL CABLES
A10
Polcevera River tendered for
steelwork retrofit
Cornigliano
Sestri
Ponente
GENOA
Oregina
POLCEVERA VIADUCT COLLAPSE
A10
Sampierdarena ALEXANDRA WYNNE
EXCLUSIVE
Genoa airport
SS1
The owner and operator of the Polce-
N vera viaduct was actively tendering
1km Ligurian Sea for €20M (£17.9M) of structural ret-
rofitting at the time of its collapse, as
a stop gap while a complete upgrade
of the major road network around
Genoa was worked up.
Tender documents seen by New
PONTE POLCEVERA Civil Engineer reveal that the section
of the viaduct that collapsed on 14
August, killing at least 38, was set
ra for significant repairs along with the
adjacent tower and stay cables.
This would have kept the bridge
serviceable while a major upgrade
to the area’s strategic network was
COLLAPSED SECTION delivered.
A10 The main stay cables on both
m sections were scheduled to be beefed
up with new steel cables strapped to
the surface of the existing concrete
beams and attached to the deck and
apex of the pylon with new steel an-
chor blocks. In total 55t of steel was
predicted to be required.
Additionally, 35,000m2 of reinforced
concrete on the deck, two towers,
and their cables were to be shot-
The foundations of the collapsed
blasted and repaired, amounting to
tower appear intact
1,200m3 of concrete.
The works echo similar repairs
carried out on the third tower, closest
to the land, in the 1990s. This work is
clearly visible on photographs of the
bridge following its collapse.
The contract notice was issued on
the Official Journal of the European
Union on 28 April and was for “struc-
tural retrofitting of the Polcevera
viaduct at km 000 + 551 of the A10
Genoa-Savona motorway”. Deadline
for tenders was 11 June 2018.
There is no evidence of the con-
tract having been awarded by owner
and operator Autostrade per L’Italia.
Documents also reveal the opera-
tor describes the Polcevera viaduct
as a “strategic” asset and the only
cable stayed structure on its road
network.
S E P T E M B E R 2 01 8 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 9
Polcevera Viaduct Collapse
Blue skies, police,
cranes, debris and
twisted remains
Looking down
From the Scene Via Giorgio
Katherine Smale Perlasca road
the wreckage
of the tower is
just visible.
rriving at the edge of
A
the cordoned off zone,
the police guard all
access points to what
remains of the motor-
way bridge leading out of Genoa.
The surrounding streets are eerily
quiet. All roads surrounding the
bridge have been closed, all residents
living below and around the Polceve-
ra Viaduct, more familiarly known as of the 250m-long section lie below, The two still-standing piers look sta-
Morandi bridge, have been evacuated with what appears to be a 15m sec- ble and no deflection of the remaining
and told they may never be able to tion of the four-lane road deck lodged deck tip can be seen. Anchor blocks
return to their homes. in the river valley. for the cable stays at deck level are
With bright blue skies above, The deck must have mostly fallen still attached to the remaining towers
and mountains rising magnificently out of view or broken up into smaller with no signs of distress, although the
in the background the air is still and sections on impact, as the debris that twisted remains of the parapet can be
it is hard to believe that thunder- can be seen from this vantage point seen hanging off the end.
storms battered this area just two does not seem to be enough to fill the Maintenance inspection platforms
days before. vast gap which has been left above. can be seen underneath the bridge
In contrast to the picturesque late Looking down Via Giorgio Perlasca deck at the point of the haunch on
Italian summer setting is the harsh road the wreckage of the tower is just the underside of the deck.
marine environment with concrete visible. Around 15m sections At the top of what was the
industrial looking buildings, brown of the tower legs are heaped in a middle pier, steel housing for the
corrosion stains on their surface. vast pile of rubble. What look like concrete-encased main stays are
Rescue workers with hard hats, post-tensioning cables can be seen brown and rusted.
climbing gear and cutting equipment draping from one of the exposed Looking further east at the end
come and go in fortified 4x4s. Helicop- faces of the concrete. pier, it is clear that work has taken
ters and drones fly over the wreckage Two mobile cranes are helping with place to strengthen the main stays.
and sirens punctuate the silence. the rescue effort and hydraulic break- Black cables run alongside the origi-
The world’s media has descended ers can be heard hammering away, nal stays and over new grey saddles
on the area and only journalists are trying to break up the larger lumps of at the top of the tower.
allowed to pass onto the Via Renata concrete. Looking north west, the other side
Bianchi bridge, which affords a clear Looking up to the remaining of the collapsed bridge can be seen.
view of the foreboding wreckage towers, the deck of what should have Telecommunication wires hang down
above and below in the distance. been the middle pier now stands from the collapsed face.
The remaining two towers of isolated on one side. Trucks and cars that narrowly
the Polcevera Viaduct can be seen It is clear that the bridge deck has escaped the fall still remain on top
around 300m away on the east side of failed along its joint lines as the end of of the deck in a haunting reminder of
a dry river bed. The twisted remains the still-in-place deck section is neat. the tragedy that occurred.
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Construction images 1
reveal true extent
of Morandi’s vision
From the archive The report details how each of
the main towers is founded on a
Rob Horgan KEY FACT reinforced concrete pile cap, in turn
supported on large diameter bored
piles, in many cases about 40m deep.
ew Civil Engineer 19 67 One theory mooted by engineers is
N exclusively reveals a Bridge that the heavy rainfall from the storm
1960s report detail- inaugurated may have washed ground away from
ing the construction after four underneath the tower, undermining
methods and designs its foundation and causing the base of
years of
behind the collapsed Polcevera via- the tower to rotate and collapse.
duct bridge in Genoa. construction New Civil Engineer’s founding
As New Civil Engineer went to press editor Sydney Lenssen obtained the
search and rescue effort was still report during a visit to the Morandi
ongoing in Genoa after an around bridge mid-construction in April 1965, 3
250m long section of the 11 span, in an organised tour promoting the
pre-stressed concrete, cable stayed use of concrete in long-span bridge
motorway bridge collapsed, killing at construction. Lenssen said that there
least 38 people. were several “unusual” structural
The 1965 report, obtained by New design elements which may have con-
Civil Engineer, details the unusual tributed to the bridge’s collapse.
structure’s key elements and the con- “At first look it doesn’t look like a
struction techniques used to build it. fault in the foundations,” Lenssen told
It also provides real insight into the New Civil Engineer. “I suspect that
construction itself through a series of one of the supports from underneath
photographs charting construction has given away. That or the cables
progress and will likely be used in fu- above have suffered from corrosion.”
ture investigations into the collapse. Construction of the towers was
It explains how designer Riccardo fairly conventional, using steel form-
Morandi viewed the single stay cable work, the Viadotto sul Polcevera per
design more as a reinforced concrete l’Autostrada Genova-Savona report
tie beam, with the cable’s steel outlines. But the method of encasing
tendons encased in concrete. the steel tendons was more unusual.
The deck was constructed as a Lenssen added: “Morandi was con-
“
balanced cantilever with temporary vinced that covering the steel cables
tie beams running 1m above the
deck providing temporary support
until the permanent tie beams were
constructed.
At the time
It also details the construction of
the bridge’s foundations, which high-
it was a
ways operator Autostrade per L’Italia terrifically ambitious
was carrying out works on at the time
of collapse. structure
12 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | SEPTEMBER 20182 1. MAIN TOWER
CONSTRUCTION
Each tower is 100m tall and
founded on a reinforced concrete
pile cap, in turn supported on large
diameter bored piles
2. DECK ERECTION
Cantilever construction of the
deck with temporary steel tie beans
running 1m above the deck; stay
cables hang from the tower before
encasing in concrete
3. WORK OF GENIUS?
At the time it was a terrifically
ambitious structure, however
strange the design
More images at
newcivilengineer.com
would protect them but it looked
very strange. The concrete casing
was also built in two or three sections
and I was straight away concerned
how this would protect the cables
from corrosion.
“All suspension bridge cables
suffer from corrosion, regardless of
whether or not they are covered in
concrete.”
Despite his reservations about the
“unusual design”, Lenssen said that
Morandi’s ambition was infectious
and he was heralded as a genius at
the time.
“Morandi was a bit of a genius and
a very good businessman. At the
time it was a terrifically ambitious
structure, however strange the design
was,” Lenssen said.
“There’s no doubt that it was an
unusual design. It was a highly unusu-
al structure, almost a mish mash of
bridge types.
“It wasn’t a cable stay bridge even
though it had cables, it wasn’t a
typical cantilever bridge either and
it had a lot of supports between the
“
structures.”
Morandi was
a bit of a
genius and a very
good businessman
S E P T E M B E R 2 018 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 13Polcevera Viaduct Collapse
No UK complacency af
Highways England moves FIVE UK NEAR MISSIES
to reassure UK post-Genoa
1. HAMMERSMITH FLYOVER
Emergency closure in 2011 (pictured)
2. BOSTON MANOR
Urgently closed and faced
replacement in summer 2012
UK Reaction and regular regime for inspecting all
structures, including bridges, on En- 3. HUMBER BRIDGE
Alexandra Wynne KEY FACTS gland’s motorways and major A roads Corrosion threatended lifespan
and taking any necessary action to
help ensure they stay safe.” 4. FORTH ROAD BRIDGE
3 , 2 03
o bridges on the General inspections are undertaken Fears so acute a replacement was built
N
UK’s strategic road UK highways every two years with more detailed at a cost of £1.35bn
network bear simi- structures principal inspections typically every
larities to that of the deemed six years, involving close inspection 5. SEVERN BRIDGE
collapsed structure in substandard of all parts of a structure. Unacceptable levels of corrosion
Genoa, Highways England has said. Questions are now being raised
Moved to respond to the catastro- as to how such a devastating bridge
phe in Italy, the roads operator said £ 1. 3 5 b n collapse could happen in a European
that while “a very small proportion” Cost of country, whose proximity to the UK
of its structures are suspension or replacing appears to have triggered concerns
cable stayed bridges, none were of a Forth Road around asset knowledge and safety
“similar construction” to that of the here, which in turn has triggered
Bridge
Polcevera viaduct. Highways Engand’s assurances.
The unusual statement comes as These assurances emphasise the
concerns mount as to what the pos- UK’s confidence in the safety of its
sible contributing factors were that own key bridge assets, which opera-
led to the fatal collapse. Italian road tors in recent years have had cause
operator Autostrade has confirmed for concern about and experience in
that the bridge was undergoing resolving structural safety issues.
maintenance work, when a 250m long The Humber, Severn and Forth
platform of deck and a pier collapsed. bridges have all been subject to
The operator said it had been serious maintenance interventions to
strengthening the structure’s stem cable corrosion. Dehumidifica-
foundations as part of scheduled tion of tendons and extensive acous-
maintenance works, although it is not tic monitoring keep them in service.
yet clear where this work was taking In addition, Transport for London
place in relation to the collapsed was forced to close the vital 1960s
section. Hammersmith flyover in late 2011 electroslag welds.
Sources close to the investigation as a result of the discovery of a Fears were so acute that transport
have also indicated that serious “serious structural defect” during minister at the time Mike Penning
corrosion is visible in the failed a two-year monitoring exercise. said that work had already begun to
structure. Scheduled repairs were made more look at replacing the structure.
The statement by UK counterpart urgent as the problem was revealed On the local roads network, con-
Highways England said of its road to be worse than earlier inspections cerns remain as to the vulnerability of
network: “We have detailed design indicated. key structures. Research released by
standards and quality control pro- Around six months later, a nearby the RAC Foundation last year found
cesses to ensure bridges are designed section of the M4 – known as Boston that more than 3,000 council-main-
and constructed to provide safe and Manor Viaduct – was also urgently tained road bridges were considered
comfortable journeys for road users. closed following the discovery of “substandard”.
“This is supported by a thorough cracks in the 1960s steel structure’s Analysis of data received from 199
14 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | SEPTEMBER 2018after Italian experience
Billions needed to bring
Italy’s bridges up to date
MARK HANSFORD a useful life of 100 years.
“Today part of the Morandi viaduct
A “Marshall Plan” costing “tens of bil- has collapsed, which will probably
lions of euros” is needed to bring the lead to complete demolition and
tens of thousands of bridges across replacement of the work,” added
Italy that have exceeded their design Occhiuzzi. “The element in common
life up to standard, a leading Italian is the age of the structures: most of
research body has demanded. the Italian road infrastructures (road
The call has been made in the bridges) have exceeded 50 years of
wake of the collapse of the Polcevera age, which correspond to the useful
viaduct by the largest public research life associated with the reinforced
institution in Italy, the National Re- concrete works made with the tech-
FIVE ITALIAN COLLAPSES search Council (NRC). nologies available after World War II.”
It cites a sequence of collapsing Occhiuzzi stressed that the Polce-
1. PETRULLA VIADUCT Italian road infrastructure that has vera viaduct, more commonly known
Collapsed in 2014 after post- become “a worrying regularity” for as the Morandi bridge, owes its name
tensioning failed some years and highlights that age to the “brilliant designer/executor
is the common factor, with most of the work, one of the names that,
2. ANNONE FLYOVER of the infrastructure in Italy built together with Freyssinet (France),
Heavy load caused collapse in 2016 of reinforced concrete in the 1950s Leonhardt (Germany) and Maillart
and 1960s. It adds that severe cost (Switzerland), changed the concept of
3. ADRIATIC MOTORWAY pressures following the Second World bridges in Europe and in the world”.
Overpass collapsed during War meant that compromises were Built between 1963 and 1967,
maintenance work in March 2017 often made between capital cost and Occhiuzzi described it as an exam-
longevity of the structures. ple of “absolute rationalism” and
4. TANGENZIALE DI FOSSANO “In practice, tens of thousands rejected suggestions that it was badly
Collapsed in April 2017 (pictured) of bridges in Italy have exceeded, designed.
today, the lifespan for which they He also said there was no immedi-
5. POLCEVERA VIADUCT were designed and built,” said NRC ate reason to doubt Autostade’s main-
Collapsed in August 2018 killing 38 director of the Institute of Construc- tenance regime, instead suggesting
tion Technology, Antonio Occhiuzzi. that more development was required
“
“In many cases, the foreseeable costs in monitoring systems.
of the 207 local highway authorities for the extraordinary maintenance
in the UK shows that 3,203 struc- that would be necessary for these
tures over 1.5m in span were unfit to
carry the heaviest vehicles, including
bridges exceed those associated with
demolition and reconstruction. Tens of
lorries of up to 44t. This represents
around one in 23 of the roughly
“The figures necessary for the
modernisation of road bridges in Italy thousands of
72,000 bridges on the local network.
Highways England said that it
would be expressed in tens of billions
of euros,” he added. “To avoid trage-
bridges in Italy have
would seek to assess potential for les-
sons to be learned once the ensuing
dy such as Genoa, a sort of ‘Marshall
Plan’ for Italian road infrastructures
exceeded the lifespan
investigations into the causes of the would be indispensable, based on the for which they were
Italy bridge collapse are complete, replacement of most Italian bridges
and a report issued. with new structures characterised by designed and built
S E P T E M B E R 2 018 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 15MORE
The Edit
NEWS TRANSPORT
D L R-S T Y L E S C H E M E
More JOINS PROPOSALS
coverage F O R H E AT H R O W L I N K
E S S E N T I A L N E W S & I N F O R M AT I O N online at
A £375M light rail scheme to
F R O M N E W C I V I L E N G I N E E R .C O M newcivil Heathrow has been submitted to the
engineer.com Department for Transport (DfT) as
part of its call for ideas on third-party
funded projects. Submitted by
Spelthorne Council, the DLR-style
scheme is in direct competition to
bids by the Windsor Link Railway and
Heathrow Southern Rail. The scheme
proposes a light rail link from
Staines-upon-Thames to the airport,
with a new Staines station part of the
proposal. The council claims the light
rail line would put Staines on the map
as a “centre for business growth and
investment” and release “huge
untapped potential” to Heathrow, by
reducing journey times to seven
minutes. Spelthorne Council group
head for regeneration and growth
Heather Morgan claims that other
proposals for traditional “heavy” rail
access were “unacceptable” and
would take up too much space.
Experts dismissed cracks in KEY STATS
TRANSPORT
MARK CARNE URGES
Florida bridge hours before NETWORK RAIL TO
‘ R A D I C A L LY R E F O R M’
862t
collapse killed six people Weight of ALLIANCING MODEL
trussed Outgoing Network Rail chief executive
Florida bridge Mark Carne has urged his successor
INFRASTRUCTURE In the report, it said the team to implement “radical reform” to
Shocking photos of cracks on a had met for two hours on the that collapsed improve the track operator’s
Florida bridge, taken days before it morning of 15 March before alliancing process. On his last official
collapsed killing six people, have concluding that the cracks did not day at the helm, Carne urged
been released by US authorities. The compromise the structural integrity incoming chief executive Andrew
Florida International University (FIU) of the bridge. The bridge collapsed Haines to “aggressively embrace”
bridge, a 53m long, 862t concrete three hours later. new technologies to improve the
trussed structure, was under network’s reliability.
construction when it collapsed onto “The performance of the railway
a live eight lane road below on 15 for passengers is not good enough
“
March, killing five people in vehicles and has been getting worse,” Carne
and one bridge worker. told New Civil Engineer. “This
The cracks were dismissed as highlights the fact that the
being structurally insignificant on 13
and 14 March, according to an
The cracks interactions with train operating
companies must improve.
update on the incident released by
the National Transportation Safety
were dismissed I think we have taken alliancing
about as far as you can within the
Board (NTSB).
The NTSB also said it had
as being structurally current industry structure.
“Therefore more radical reform
obtained photos of cracks from 10 insignificant on 13 is needed to create aligned teams
March, but did not include these in working seamlessly across the
the report. and 14 March industry in the interest of passengers.”
16 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | SEPTEMBER 201838_PERI_AD_PRINT_NCE_FP_DIGI-CONSTRUCTION_265x210_10-AUG-18_AWO.indd 1 06/08/2018 09:48
The Edit
TRANSPORT TRANSPORT BUSINESS
H I G H S P E E D 2 FA C E S BRIDGE LIFT COULD KEY STAT PETER B R ET T B O S S
L E G A L B AT T L E HOLD KEY TO VOW S N O JO B S
OVER ‘BOTCHED E L E C T R I F I C AT I O N O F £60M WI L L B E LO S T AF T E R
PROCUREMENT’ G R E AT W E S T E R N L I N E Turnover STA N TEC TAK E OVE R
of Stantec,
High Speed 2 (HS2) is facing a fresh A specialist engineer in bridge lifts has The boss of Peter Brett Associates
legal battle over plans to buy £2.8bn backed calls to raise a Grade II listed which is (PBA), which is to be taken over by
of trains. Spanish manufacturer masonry arch bridge that is causing taking over Canadian consultancy Stantec, has
Talgo has begun legal action after problems for the electrification of the Peter Brett vowed there will be no job losses due
what it claims was a “botched Great Western Main Line. ElevArch to the move. Stantec and PBA have
procurement” process. Talgo was rail business development manager signed a letter of intent for the
named as one of five shortlisted John Kennils said it would be possible takeover, which is set to be finalised
rolling stock suppliers to build trains to avoid demolishing the bridge by in September. The amount Stantec
for the high speed line. It decided to jacking it up to create the required paid for PBA, which in 2017 had a
launch legal action after Spanish clearance and then reprofiling the £60M turnover and £10M profit before
rival CAF was added to the shortlist road on either side. It comes after tax, has not been revealed. PBA
following its own legal challenge. Network Rail lost its application to chairman Keith Mitchell told New
CAF was reinstated in June following demolish the Steventon bridge and Civil Engineer there will be no job
the announcement that Bombardier replace it with one with a higher losses as a result of the sale. He said:
and Hitachi were joining forces in clearance. ElevArch carried out a “What we are saying to both staff and
their bid to win the contract. Talgo successful trial in 2016 to lift a clients is that we are very much
has now lodged a complaint with the 160-year-old single span, 220t focused on business as usual. That’s
High Court, claiming that project masonry arch bridge 900mm using 10, very important from our point of
promoter HS2 Ltd “failed to exercise 50t jacks. Kennils believes similiar view as we have projects ongoing,
rational judgment” when allowing works could be carried out at the we need to make sure we are very
CAF back into the competition. Steventon bridge site. focused on that.”
STRUCTURES
ARCHITECTS TO RULE OVER TOWER ROW
The UK’s top architectural bodies tower in St Petersburg. Gorproject
have been asked to rule on a design has reported the Edinburgh-based
dispute over Europe’s tallest firm to the Royal Institute of British
skyscraper. The design team at Architects and Royal Incorporation of
Russian studio Gorproject has Architects in Scotland. However,
accused Scottish firm Kettle Kettle denies any wrongdoing and
Collective of stealing the authorship said they “do not have a dispute”,
for the design of the Lakhta Centre when contacted by New Civil Engineer.
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0121 508 6970 | mapei.co.ukSir James Bevan
The Interview BY EMILY ASHWELL
Walking the
walk with the
Environment Agency
utside the office of “What you should not do is force
Environment Agency people to choose between protect-
O chief executive Sir
James Bevan, London
is sweltering in a full
ing the environment on the one
hand and growth on the other, be-
cause if you force people to choose,
blown 31˚C heatwave. particularly in India but also in the
It is a stark reminder of the chal- UK, they will choose growth over
lenges the Agency is facing in terms the environment. The answer is to
dealing with climate change. say you don’t have to choose, you
For the former diplomat, who has can do both,” he says.
seen “up close and personal” what And that’s where engineers come
happens when the environment in. Yes, Bevan says the Agency
is not looked after, the role of the needs technically skilled engineers,
Agency in managing and regulating but it also needs engineers who can
the environment is immeasurable. build relationships with communi-
Before Bevan took up his post ties and work in partnership with
in November 2015, he was British ment of contaminated land, flood stakeholders. This will enable its
High Commissioner in India. He risk management, water quality and schemes to protect and manage
describes living in a country that water resources. the environment, as well as having
is home to a sixth of the world’s Bevan says the biggest insight he wider benefits.
population as “life enhancing”. But gained from his time in India is the “We’re here to create a better
he also saw the consequences of philosophy of sustainable growth, place. That’s what good engineers
environmental damage, such as the which is embedded in the Environ- do and that’s what we try to do,”
Bhopal disaster, where in 1984 toxic ment Agency’s founding law. he says. “And the better place is
“
gases leaked from a chemical plant not just about the concrete and
resulting in thousands of deaths and the steel, it’s about the feel and the
causing disabilities among the third economy and the community and all
What you
generation of children descend- those other things that maybe don’t
ed from the victims. Elsewhere get talked about at engineering
pollution has left some of the River
Ganges biologically dead. should not do is school, and that’s our philosophy:
we want to be a placemaking organi-
“They always say if you think
education’s expensive, try igno-
force people to choose sation in the broadest sense.”
These future schemes might look
rance. Well, if you think regulation’s
expensive, try not doing it. That’s
between protecting like typical large infrastructure
projects, for example a new Thames
what happens, that’s a lesson to
regulate well,” he says.
the environment on Barrier will be needed by 2070, but
there will also be schemes which
Regulating industry and waste is the one hand and use natural measures to control
one of the Agency’s responsibilities. flooding such as leaky dams. But
Others include overseeing treat- growth on the other more schemes will combine both,
20 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | SEPTEMBER 2018Medmerry, in West Sussex, was
England’s first managed realignment
of the open coast. It involved the
construction of a 7km long, 3m to 4m
high earth bund, but it also created
wetlands which are now a bird sanctuary.
“
such as in Pickering, Yorkshire, where
natural flood management such as What gets ment Agency staff out of bed is the
life-changing effects we can have
leaky dams and the planting of 40,000
trees, combined with installation of a
KEY FACTS me and when we can give people a much bet-
ter sense of security by knowing they
flood storage reservoir upstream has
slowed peak river flow by 15-20%. £2.6bn
Environment Agency can go to sleep and not worry about
flooding, and knowing we don’t just
“The future is more upstream man- Value of staff out of bed is the protect them against floods but help
life-changing effects
agement, some concrete and steel, growth, placemaking and the wider
and then also being prepared to ac- Environment benefits that come from being better
Agency’s
cept we will never be able to prevent
all flooding,” says Bevan. we can have protected.”
These wider benefits include
six-year flood
“Climate change is likely to drive enabling communities to get decent
more flooding, and therefore the rest protection insurance and ensuring that flood risk
of the answer is about making sure programme What we want from ourselves and our does not deter investors.
our cities and communities are more suppliers is that we bear down as far Bevan says climate change is the
resilient when it happens.” as possible, as close to zero use of biggest threat to the UK in the long
The Environment Agency is current- £300M single use plastic,” he says. term and the Agency works with
ly procuring a £1.5bn flood defence The framework will help deliver the government at all levels to shape the
Value of
framework, which includes one lot Agency’s £2.6bn six-year programme response, from the 25 Year Environ-
worth £300M for professional services professional to better protect 300,000 homes and ment Plan launched by prime minister
including design and consultancy, and services work businesses from flooding. It is the im- Theresa May in January, to staff
one lot worth up to £1.2bn for pro- pact this work can have on people’s embedded in major projects such as
gramme delivery. The new commer- being let lives that Bevan says gets him, and High Speed 2.
cial arrangements should be in place under the his staff, out of bed in the morning. Bevan says he took the helm of an
by July next year. He sees the Agency as becoming innovative, collaborative, delivery
Agency’s
As the organisation tries to “walk the “fourth blue light” in the way it focused Environment Agency where
the walk” in terms of sustainability, flood defence responds to incidents. engineering is part of its DNA. He
it will also ask contractors to do the framework The Cumbria floods in December wants to see more of this, with the
same, through more efficient use of 2015 hit when Bevan was just six days body becoming “pacier”.
sustainable materials, but also includ- into the job. According to the Met Of- Bevan wants the Agency and its
ing ditching single use plastic cups in fice, a new record for two consecutive engineering to be known and loved,
staff kitchens – something which Bev- rain days was set when 405mm fell at because its impact on our future is
an has had a hands-on role in doing Thirlmere. crucial.
since the Environment Agency moved “I went up there and stood in the “Unless we both manage down
into its Westminster office. homes of people whose lives had demand and manage up supply,
“When we got into this building… been wrecked by flooding. It’s not just including in major new infrastructure
we had a nice little kitchen, but it also a physical thing that happens, it’s an investment, in 20 or 30 years’ time
had a container full of plastic cups, emotional thing and it can have quite the lines between supply and demand
so we ripped it off the wall. That’s an severe long-term consequences,” says will cross and there won’t be enough
example of us trying to walk the walk. Bevan. “What gets me and Environ- water for the country,” he concludes.
S E P T E M B E R 2 018 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 21system that ensures complex
buildings are built and maintained
Your View
so that they are safe for people
to live in for many years after the
original construction”. Indeed Dame
Hackitt uses the word “system”
301 times and refers to the need
for “a holistic or ‘whole system’
approach to new construction and
LET TERS TO THE EDITOR refurbishments”.
AND COMMENTS ONLINE David Blockley, Emeritus Professor
University of Bristol, d.blockley@
bristol.ac.uk
ICE support of new build. It’s the kind of STRUCTURES
OUT OF TOUCH sexy stuff that guys in black ties can MISSED ASPIRATIONS
INSTITUTION?
@ talk about. Again, I can’t relate to it.
It seems nonsensical to me to build
new things when you can’t even Although they read as unnecessary
The recent controversy about the look after what you already have. and mean-spirited, John Roberts’
ICE not consulting adequately with It simply increases the nation’s comments about the beautiful
members about governance changes volume of decaying stock. competition-winning design of the
left me somewhat underwhelmed. If all this sounds like the whinging Tintagel Bridge do raise a very
If, like me, you work in the north Read more of someone unhappy in his job, it important point (Your View, last
of England as a municipal engineer letters at isn’t. I love my job, I’ve thoroughly
primarily involved in maintenance www.newcivil enjoyed my career and I have plenty
schemes, the Institution possibly engineer.com of positive things to be getting on
never felt much like your Institution with. I simply make the point that
anyway. perhaps I love my work despite the
I view the ICE as a networking ICE, rather than because of it and
club, seemingly run from afar by that it’ll take rather more than a
a collection of consultants and bit of consultation to sort out the
contractors who meet at a very disconnect with me and any other
plush office at Great George Street members like me.
that I’ve only had occasion to visit Jon Tuson (M) jon.tuson@bolton.
about three times in 30 years. I see a gov.uk
lot of pictures of engineers at black
tie events in London that seem PROFESSION
completely at odds with the day to
day of my work. I don’t begrudge SYSTEM OF THOUGHT
people these events but, on a Tintagel: Architect’s dream?
personal level, I simply can’t relate Mark Hansford rightly asks what our
to them. biggest infrastructure challenges month). There are far too many
Moreover, the argument that the are (Comment, last month). infrastructure projects in the UK
ICE is a learned organisation that May I suggest one that he misses – including many major projects
benefits all its members loses a – but which is highlighted on page – which are granted planning
certain amount of credibility when 34 of the same issue in an article permission with insufficient detail
its training arm, Thomas Telford Ltd, by Jackie Whitelaw – joined-up to be sure of the quality of the
rarely organises courses north of thinking. built product, or where the quality
Birmingham. It certainly offers more She quotes Transport for the West promised at planning stage is
benefits to engineers who live in the Midlands’ Mike Waters as saying “we subsequently hugely eroded, and
South East rather than those who have to change behaviours, hearts the public is left short-changed or
live in the North. and minds”. But this applies not misled by clients and designers.
I look at the figures quoted for only to the travelling public but The quality of infrastructure
schemes like High Speed 2 (HS2) also ourselves as infrastructure built in the UK would be hugely
and cringe. The £58bn for HS2 professionals and the way we think improved if the planning system
compares with under £600,000 The Editor, about what we do. required projects to be as well
that the government provided New Civil The swanky word for joined- designed as the Tintagel Bridge. In
this year to maintain the 360-plus Engineer, up thinking is systems-thinking. turn, this would reward bold clients
highway structures in Bolton. The This kind of mind-set is being and inspired designers, like English
Telephone
government is not awash with cash advocated by the Royal Academy Heritage, Ney & Partners and
House,
and cannot fund infrastructure of Engineering as well as being an William Matthews Associates, with
maintenance and major capital 69-77 Paul important part of our reaction to the integrity and determination to
projects like HS2, so choices have Street, London, Grenfell as stated by Dame Hackitt. build high-quality infrastructure
to be made. The ICE, verbalised EC2A 4NQ In her report she writes “A cultural with lasting value.
through New Civil Engineer, seems Email: nceedit@ and behavioural change... is now Martin Knight, Knight Architects
to have come down firmly in emap.com required... to deliver an effective m.knight@knightarchitects.co.uk
22 NEW CIVIL ENGINEER | SEPTEMBER 2018MAIN POINT
ICE GOVERNANCE IN THE SPOTLIGHT
YOUR VIEWS AND OPINIONS
The ICE held a Special General meeting on 31 July in response to concerns about the ballot on the Institution’s corporate governance structure held
earlier that month. The majority of the more than 200 people at the meeting voted for a new ballot and voted to censure the ICE for its lack of
consultation with the membership about the proposed governance reforms.
I attended the Special General Meeting at the ICE on 31 July the time of the membership ballot. Even after two hours of
as a supporter of the resolutions and was not persuaded discussion I felt that we had barely begun to cover the impact
by the arguments made against them. Several of those who of the changes.
spoke against the resolutions said that to try to overturn the At the moment, the plans seem to me to amount to a
results of the governance ballot would make the ICE appear bonfire of the ICE’s current rules and traditions, without clear
to the outside world to be divided and may damage our justification.
reputation, as if those could ever be reasons for not doing Personally, I believe that some trustees need
what is right. to be directly elected by the members (the current
All the resolutions were passed and the Council plan allows for three to be selected by some
now has a lot of work to do. This situation could unknown process from the elected Council,
have been avoided if the Council had been and a further nine to be appointed, so elected
bold enough to postpone the governance representatives can always be outvoted).
ballot when the SGM was requisitioned in Stephen King, Posted online on article
early June instead of trying headed “ICE members vote for new ballot on
to push their proposals through using a governance”
somewhat disingenuous two-page spread
of “FAQs” in July’s New Civil Engineer I voted against the SGM resolutions as I agree
and on the ICE’s website. with the governance changes – they embody
Gordon Heath (M retd), Pinner, Middlesex good practice recommended by government.
The requisitioners want more consultation.
I was one of those who voted for (most) of the Why? Don’t we trust our elected Council? Do we
Council’s suggestions during the ballot, but I became want to be governed by referenda after Brexit?
more and more concerned as additional details emerged about It’s good to have checks and balances – particularly from
the plans. those of mature years.
In the end I attended the SGM, and as a result of listening But whatever the merits of more consultation, this egregious
to the arguments I decided to vote in favour of the resolutions challenge to Council is surely an unnecessary distraction
being discussed (ie against the Council’s position). from the ICE’s proper business of assuring the nation’s
There were very wide-ranging changes discussed or hinted infrastructure.
at in the SGM that I had been completely unaware of at Mike Napier FICE
STRUCTURES stop them trying. problems of access to the site have
TINTAGEL TROUBLES It seems that one of the reasons been well-promulgated. So, how
English Heritage selected this as the about this? The deck is separated at
Well, what a kerfuffle over a little winning design is that it contains the centre – giving English Heritage
footbridge! I refer, of course, to this unique and desirable feature of the opportunity for a “gap” – but
the controversy surrounding the a “gap” between the mainland side structurally, each side leans against
proposed Tintagel Castle footbridge and the island side, representing the other (pinned joint), with a slight
(The Edit, last month), to be a transition from one space to arch at the centre for the lowest
constructed under the auspices of another. However, if the real concern design temperature. This amounts
English Heritage, to whom I have is that of visual intrusion, the most to a continuous structure, affording
already written with concerns about slender design possible is surely slenderness. The pedestrian deck
questions it might ask its designers. the right solution – afforded by a could show a “gap”, but the main
I agree with the majority of John continuous structure, but disguised structure would be effectively
Roberts’s letter “Flawed Design as “two 30m cantilevers reaching out continuous.
Competitions” in the same issue, and and almost touching in the middle” Or is this engineering idea just too
in particular with his observation that (English Heritage blurb). crazy for the architects?
architects should never pretend to I’m no bridge designer, but I am Mike Franklin (F, retired)
be engineers. Of course, that will not a construction engineer, and the mike_franklin@usa.net
S E P T E M B E R 2 018 | NEW CIVIL ENGINEER 23You can also read
