We come into contact with people from all walks of life. Many are very successful in their field. They find themselves involved in planning, raising funds for or providing a bridge for perhaps the first (and only) time in their careers. Unsurprisingly they need information but don’t always know what information they require.
They take the approach most experienced people take. They make an enquiry at number of suppliers and ask for information and prices. The suppliers ask for certain basic information and when the potential client supplies it the suppliers provide the prices and delivery times requested.
Then the problems start.
Providing a bridge is very much more complex than the provision of most other structures. There are an enormous number of constraints and these interact with each other. The resulting shambles destroys the credibility of the person making the enquiry and can prevent the project from proceeding and in the worst case can lead to the removal of a bridge.
The professional approach is to seek the advice of a person who knows about the process of providing a bridge. For a modest fee (Less than £500) a Feasibility Study can be carried out.
This study will identify all the constraints. It will provide a General Arrangement Drawing, a Program and a Budget Cost indicating potential, costed, options. The study will crucially show a plotted “Road map” for the project indicating the best sequence to perform the various tasks in and which Consents and Approvals are required.
The process of building a bridge lays important Legal Responsibilities on the individual and the organisation they represent.
A Feasibility Study will allow a client to move forward with confidence with a provider and a high degree of control.
If this route is not taken projects either stall or are completed late and hugely over budget.
Selecting a suitable person to carry out the study is vital. You need a Bridge Engineer rather than a generalist Civil or Structural Engineer. They need to be aware of the issues relating to the Consent and Approval Process and be familiar with the current costs and Construction Management. We have a panel of suitable people and are happy to put you in contact with them.