Tarmac Readymix success in 26-hour continuous pour

Collaboration and flexibility key to new bridge project across the river Wear in Sunderland

TARMAC have led a successful 26-hour continuous pouring operation to help complete work on Sunderland’s new bridge across the river Wear. The company supplied more than 200 loads of ready-mixed concrete for the pour.

The cofferdam in the centre of the river – which allows construction work to take place underwater – where the foundations to the bridge’s main A-frame pylon are being built was filled with almost 1,500 cubic metres of concrete from Tarmac’s Sunderland and Gateshead plants. Fifteen truckmixers were used to continuously transport the concrete from the plants to the site.

Commenting on the success of the operation, Jon Merchant, production manager for Tarmac Readymix concrete for Tyne and Wear, said a collaborative attitude and flexible approach to service was critical in achieving the volume and consistency required over a 26-hour pour.

‘Bringing in the right people and creating a team focused on delivering results for our customers was essential to the project in achieving this critical milestone. Various meetings were held with Tarmac’s technical, operational, logistics and commercial teams to plan for this, as the mix and supply rates required were particularly complex,’ he explained.

Stephen McCaffrey, project director for FVB joint venture which is delivering the contract on behalf of Sunderland City Council, said: ‘The concrete pour was a major task because it had to be completed at a pace and without interruption over a prolonged period, meaning we had a continuous flow of concrete mixers coming to site both day and night. We worked closely with Tarmac to ensure the operation ran smoothly and was a success.’

With activity on the project now at its peak, more than 100 people are currently working on site, with both local and international specialists working together to deliver the new bridge on time, by the spring of 2018.