Spencer Bridge Engineering has been recognised for its outstanding work on the historic Union Chain Bridge with a prestigious industry award.
The company received the Historic Bridge Project of the Year Award at the New Civil Engineer Bridges Awards 2024 for its work on the iconic structure which crosses the border between England and Scotland.
Opened in 1820, Union Chain Bridge crosses the River Tweed. It’s the world’s oldest suspension bridge still carrying traffic and was the longest wrought iron suspension bridge in the world when it opened.
Designed and built by Royal Navy officer and bridges design pioneer, Captain Samuel Brown, the crossing was credited with being a catalyst for bridge innovation and influenced the design and construction of suspension bridges around the world.
Spencer Group was appointed by Northumberland County Council to dismantle the bridge and carry out a complete refurbishment and rebuild, ensuring the 200-year-old structure continues to provide safe passage for vehicles, pedestrians and cyclists for many years to come.
A key element of the project was to ensure all modifications were in keeping with the heritage and historical significance of the bridge and, where possible, structural elements, including the main suspension chain rods, links, pins and hanger caps, were refurbished rather than replaced.
The existing masonry towers were also refurbished using stone from the same quarry that was originally used. Working in partnership with local stonemasons and heritage bodies, the Spencer Bridge Engineering team conducted masonry trials to determine the exact stone facing and pointing techniques required to best match the existing structure.
Using a combination of bespoke temporary works and a highly-skilled workforce, the Spencer team was able to carry out the refurbishment, giving the structure a new lease of life in a sustainable way and ensuring future access for maintenance and inspections.
The Spencer Bridge Engineering team have been recognised for its work on the bridge on several occasions, after recently winning the Chartered Institution of Highways & Transportation (CIHT) Infrastructure Award. This follows further accolades for ‘Gold Winner’ of the Restoration Project of the Year Award and the ‘Silver Winner’ of the Community Engagement Award for the Union Chain Bridge project at the National Building and Construction Awards 2023.
Joe DiMauro, Engineering Director said:
“We’re incredibly proud to have been honoured with prestigious industry awards for our work on Union Chain Bridge.
“This recognition further reinforces Spencer Bridge Engineering’s reputation as an industry leader in specialist bridge works, including the delivery of projects on historic structures.
“Our expertise, experience and wide-ranging capabilities across the company mean we can be trusted to complete complex bridge works to exceptional standards.
“I’d like to thank the team for their tremendous work which made this project so successful and these awards possible.”
The New Civil Engineer Bridges Awards judges paid tribute to Spencer Bridge Engineering’s delivery of the project and positive collaboration with partners and stakeholders.
The citation for the winning entry said:
“The judges found this to be a particularly exciting project which demonstrated an excellent example of stakeholder engagement and collaboration across a broad range of organisations.
“The project scored very highly across all categories, and the panel particularly liked the innovative solution to temporary work implemented within this project.
“The extensive refurbishment rather than replacement really helps to keep its sense of place in the local environment and has significant carbon saving. Well done!”
Spencer Group’s emergency works project on the Menai Suspension Bridge was also shortlisted in the same Historic Bridge Project of the Year Award category at the awards ceremony.
The project saw the Spencer team carry out emergency works on the historic bridge to protect users and allow time for engineers to consider ways to solve the problem at hand, whilst once again preserving the original structure and functionality of the bridge.
The project is another outstanding example of preservation of a historic structure, using innovative techniques and solutions developed under high pressure and at pace.
