SGB Formwork’s modular LOGIK® 60 wall panels and MULTIFORM® parapet brackets are helping contractors keep on schedule with bridge construction at the £76.8 million M40 Junction 15 (Longbridge) Bypass project for the Highways Agency. Concrete specialist JOS Structures, working for main contractor Morrison Construction, is using SGB’s equipment to provide support during construction of bridge abutments and piers at either end of a new road bridge, as well as for a pier located in the M40’s central reservation.
The four-span bridge is a central part of the new bypass, and will carry the dual carriageway extension across the motorway. The current interchange layout means that traffic on the busy two-lane A46 comes to a halt at a roundabout built at Junction 15 of the M40, creating severe congestion. Through the new road scheme, vehicles will be able to bypass the busy junction altogether.
SGB Formwork’s LOGIK® 60 panel system is designed for crane-installation on major structures, with three panels capable of being crane lifted in without any need for additional bracing. It is a robust panel capable of handling pressures of up to 60 kN/sq m and is exceptionally quick to assemble and strike. The system is clamped together with a unique alignment, locking and levelling clamp that is applied with a single hammer blow. The close tolerances of the LOGIK® 60 panels produce straight, flat surfaces and a superior surface finish on the cured concrete.
JOS Structures is also using SGB Formwork’s MULTIFORM® bridge parapet brackets, a cantilevered system designed for the easy construction of concrete edge projection and parapets on bridge projects. The MULTIFORM® bracket arrives on site preassembled, making it very quick and easy to install and dismantle. “Speed is very important when erecting and striking formwork” says John O’Sullivan, Managing Director of JOS Structures. “The speed of the SGB systems has helped us move quickly on this project and keep on schedule.
“We have been using this equipment for over 10 years and have a very long-standing relationship with SGB” continues Mr O’Sullivan. “The systems are so easy to use and we get good support from the SGB sales and design team that we tend to stick with SGB Formwork, even though we’re often approached by other suppliers at tender stage”.
Construction work started on site in March 2008 and the project is due for completion Summer 2010. SGB Formwork will remain on site until September 2009.
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