TK Maxx

TK Maxx, part of the TJX group of companies was given permission by the local council to build an elevated bridge that would connect two buildings over a busy road in London. Working in conjunction with ISG Ltd, we delivered the link bridge that connects two of the TJX European Headquarter buildings together, in the heart of Watford.

The bridge was designed and fabricated to comply with the latest British Standards, which included off site application of 30 min intumescent protection to all structural members, along with galvanising any exposed steel for protection against weather conditions.

The bridge was to be installed above Clarendon Road, which has a high volume of traffic. Therefore, from a logistics point of view, it was imperative that the street was closed during installation to ensure the safety of the public. Also planning the installation, with as much work being done off site was critical, to minimise disruption and the amount of time the road would need to be closed. Working efficiently during installation was also essential to reduce the time required.

The main frame of the bridge was fabricated off site, and was produced as one 30 tonne frame, so that it could be lifted into place with a crane with a single lift. To further minimise the potential impact of the installation work, an hour by hour programme was created, so that every stage of the process could be properly managed. The initial installation had to be carried out within a 24 hour period which was how long the road would be closed.

Initially the supporting piers were installed and then the bridge, which arrived on site close to midnight. Before conducting any lifting, Billington Structures ensured that all necessary RAMS, lift plans and safety precautions were in place. The bridge was lifted into place using a 300 tonne mobile crane. Following the bridge being installed it was handed over to the client who created a scaffold system which fully encased the bridge. This created a safe working environment for the rest of the work to be carried out on the bridge when the road was reopened.

Once the encasement and access provisions were in place, we proceeded with welding the necessary bridge secondary steels and upgrading the intumescent paint system to a decorative finish. As the bridge was enclosed, every precaution was taken to ensure sufficient ventilation and safety measures were in place.