This September we’re pleased to be celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Forth Road Bridge in Scotland. Opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 4th September 1964, it’s one of the world’s most significant long-span suspension bridges in the world, spanning 2.5km across the Firth of Forth.

Built with nearly 40,000 tonnes of steel and 125,000m³ of concrete, the Forth Road Bridge transformed travel between Fife and Edinburgh.

At Eadon, we have been proud to be part of the bridge’s ongoing legacy over the years through our involvement in key engineering projects.

We designed two new cable crawler gantries for the bridge’s cable band bolt replacement project. Additionally, we undertook the design to modify and repurpose two existing gantries to also perform the function of replacing the cable band bolts.

We also designed another two gantries for use in the main cable inspections in 2012 and 2018. This involved creating platforms suspended from the main cable to allow for the removal of wrapping and the insertion of wedges for thorough inspection and retrieving of cable splices for external testing. In 2018 this involved modifying existing fabrications from the 2012 inspections, as opposed to manufacturing from new, to ensure a sustainable approach was used in our design process.

Both the cable crawler and cable inspection gantries were designed with the aid of STAAD.Pro structural analysis package to BS5950-1, Structural Use of Steelwork in Building, using safety factors from BS EN 1808, Safety Requirements on Suspended Access Equipment. The travelling gantry mechanisms were designed using BS 2573, Rules for the Design of Cranes.

Most recently Eadon provided the design (and obtained the CATIII) check certificates for a quick to deploy platform and hoisting equipment for the replacement of the high-level bolts of the main hanger cables. This design work was carried out in accordance with BS EN 13155 and BS EN 13001.

Away from access solutions, Eadon also provided temporary works design as part of a project to re-erect the large Dropped Object Canopy on the Forth Road Bridge as part of the painting works on the North and South Towers.

Congratulations to the Forth Road Bridge on reaching this great milestone!

If you’d be interested in working on some of the worlds most iconic structures and machines, then take a look at our recruitment pages, we are always keen to hear from enthusiastic engineers. Head to https://eadonconsulting.co.uk/careers/ to find out more.