CHALLENGE: Restoration of the historic Grade II* Barmouth Viaduct. The viaduct is the longest timber bridge in Britain and copes with a 5 metre tidal range.

SOLUTION: THE SOLUTION WON AN AWARD FOR WELSH CIVILS PROJECT OF THE YEAR.

The project unconventionally used the scaffolding as a longitudinal support system for the span sections. The way that the scaffolding was constructed, not only increased the overall structural stability of the spans when working near the removed sections, but it was also moveable. The project ingeniously utilised the tide cycle to lift and move the scaffolding while requiring minimal reconstruction. This resourceful engineering allowed for a faster and safer turnaround time for moving the scaffolding in between sections.

Barmouth Viaduct is a single-track, wooden railway viaduct across the estuary of the Afon Mawddach near Barmouth, Wales. It is 820 metres long and carries the Cambrian Line between Morfa Mawddach and Barmouth stations. Its 113 spans of 5.8 to 6.2 metres make up the longest timber viaduct in Wales and one of the oldest in regular use in Britain.

The restoration involved replacing more than 1,000 timber and metal elements of the viaduct, which are rotting or decaying, as well as the entire 820m length of track.