Jackson Civil Engineering appointed Beaver Bridges Ltd to replace a flood-damaged footbridge over the River Calder in Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire. Due to space constraints near a listed road bridge, Mekina Industries’ GRP formwork panels were used for easy installation and efficiency. Custom-made panels allowed for partial assembly off-site, streamlining construction and improving sustainability.
The installation of this new footbridge spanning the River Calder in Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire was overseen by Jackson Civil Engineering, who appointed specialists Beaver Bridges Ltd to carry out the work. Located on a busy route for both pedestrians and cyclists, the newly constructed footbridge serves as a replacement for an outdated structure that required extensive repairs (largely due to previous flood damage). After careful evaluation, end-client Calderdale Council determined that constructing an entirely new bridge would prove more cost-effective in the long term.
An adjacent Grade II-listed road bridge structure posed space limitation and confinement challenges on the project, and meant that traditional formwork methods would not have been suitable for the new footbridge. The use of Mekina’s leave-in-place GRP formwork meant that these challenges could be easily overcome.
Following the installation of beams to support the structure, Beaver Bridges began concrete works to form the bridge deck and other structural project elements. They chose Mekina Industries’ Mek-Dek 40/150 Glass Reinforced Polymer (GRP) Permanent Formwork Panels to ensure that the concrete cured uniformly and gained the required strength to bear the new bridge’s intended structural loads.
Modular and lightweight, Mek-Dek panels are highly manoeuvrable, requiring less person-power and fewer resources for transportation and installation. Because they remain in place, there is no need to dismantle and remove the formwork, saving valuable project construction time. After determining the required panel specification to carry the 320mm concrete deck, Mekina initiated its custom manufacturing process. Made to order minimises waste therefore reducing unnecessary resource and helps contribute to the overall sustainability credentials of the project.
Mekina successfully expedited the production of Mytholmroyd Footbridge’s 750mm wide panels ahead of the planned schedule, allowing Beaver Bridges to install a portion of the section onto pre-fabricated steelwork under factory conditions, thereby optimising operational efficiency. Working closely with the design team at Beaver Bridges meant that Mekina were in constant communication, helping provide solutions for any on-site challenges that arose.
Michael White Principal Engineer, Beaver Bridges
Calderdale Council
County Bridge, New Rd, Mytholmroyd, Hebden Bridge HX7 5LH, UK
Get to know the team behind Mekina Industries – who are dedicated to giving your project The Edge through the greenest GRP formwork in the industry and unrivalled technical assurance.
With decades of experience in GRP permanent formwork and other bespoke GRP construction products, I focus on providing exceptional service to our valued customers in the highways and transport industries.
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Our GRP formwork panels offer a distinct advantage: the elimination of the need for access beneath the structure during installation. Our lower embodied carbon and recyclability gives us the Edge over traditional formwork methods.
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My expertise in composites engineering empowers me to navigate complex design challenges, ensuring that Mekina’s engineering support to clients achieves the highest standards of efficiency, quality and sustainability.
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As a Structural Engineer, I’m passionate about prioritising the safety and integrity of the solutions we provide to clients in the highways and transport sectors. My particular specialism is in finite element analysis (FEA) of GRP composite materials.
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My skillset combines engineering expertise, a deep understanding of materials and proficiency in using computational tools for analysis and design. Load testing Mekina products is key to understanding their long-term performance.
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