On the day that the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, attended the ground-breaking ceremony to mark the start on site of the £1.1bn East Bank scheme, London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) has announced that GRAHAM has been appointed to deliver a new pedestrian and cycle bridge – Carpenters Land Bridge.
The £3.5m contract, one of the first of 27 packages to be let, contracts us to build the new Carpenters Land Bridge which will connect East Bank on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to the International Quarter London.
Significantly, it will provide an access route between Stratford and East Bank.
The Mayor’s Office granted planning permission last week for the 4.25 hectare site which will see new buildings for Sadler’s Wells dance theatre, the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) including a partnership with the Smithsonian Institution, the BBC and a new campus for University of the Arts London: London College of Fashion.
Spread across three sites on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, East Bank will be at the heart of a growing cluster of commerce, technology, manufacture, retail, education, culture and the creative industries, delivering 2,500 jobs, attracting 1.5m additional visitors a year and generating £1.5bn for the local economy.
Design and install
We will design and install a 66m long steel bridge, formed of a portal frame and bearings, a concrete cill beam and bearings within an existing retaining wall structure.
It will cross Network Rail and Docklands Light Railways lines.
We are also exploring the use of an SPMT (Self Propelled Modular Transporter) solution to install the bridge rather than the traditional usage of a crane.
This methodology has proved successful on similar projects and provides greater certainty to the installation, which is due to take place in late 2019.
An alternative to a crane, the bridge deck will be transported on the SPMT along the carriageway in a jacked-up position circa 6-7m above ground level.
The bridge will not be balanced in the centre of the SPMT as the carriageway is close to one side of the abutments and therefore a large counterweight (approximately 400t) will be applied.
It will then be transported to the worksite and then, during a rail possession, it will be rotated and dropped in on top of a cill beam and portal frame, at either end of the bridge.
The team will also provide drainage works to the bridge’s deck, provision of bonding and lightning protection, and installation of a waterproofing system.
The project is under way and is due to be completed in Spring 2020.
Leo Martin, GRAHAM Managing Director – Civil Engineering, said:
“We are pleased to have been chosen as the contractor to deliver the Carpenters Land Bridge on behalf of LLDC. Our vast experience of delivering similar schemes, and our excellent relationship and track record of partnership working, will ensure we are able to deliver the scheme effectively.
“When complete, the new bridge will provide a connection from the new East Bank to the International Quarter, providing residents with direct access to Stratford Waterfront and the hub of commercial activity in the area.”
Boost to the economy
East Bank also includes sites for UCL East in the south of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and for a new V&A Collection and Research Centre at Here East in the north of the Park.
East Bank will provide skills and jobs for local people, attracting visitors from around the world, bringing more than 10,000 students to the site, delivering 2,500 jobs, a £1.5bn boost to the economy and 600 new homes.
At least 50 per cent of new homes across the remaining development sites on the Park will be affordable, in line with the Mayor’s commitment to provide 50 per cent affordable housing on public land.
Colin Naish, Executive Director of Construction at the London Legacy Development Corporation, said:
“These packages are opportunities to help build one of the largest and most significant culture and education projects in the world. East Bank will be a powerhouse of culture, education and innovation with world-class institutions. We want the best that industry has to offer to help maintain the high standards of construction already established on the Park.”
Procurement for the construction contracts is being led by LLDC, which is also the construction client.
East Bank
East Bank is a new £1.1bn powerhouse of culture, education, innovation and growth being built on Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park in east London.
The scheme is receiving £385m from the mayor of London and £151m from the Government.
East Bank will be spread across three sites – Stratford Waterfront; UCL East (the university’s new campus) and Here East (site of the V&A’s new collection and research centre and an existing space for UCL).
East Bank will build on the area’s existing creative credentials, and East Bank partners have been building relationships and delivering projects with the thriving arts, fashion and community organisations based in the area, including the artistic community in Hackney Wick, East London Dance, Theatre Royal Stratford East, Studio Wayne McGregor and many more.
LLDC
Formed in April 2012, the London Legacy Development Corporation’s purpose is to use the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity of the London 2012 Games and the creation of Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to develop a dynamic new heart for east London, creating opportunities for local people and driving innovation and growth in London and the UK.