Team PCA attend ICE Tamar Bridge tour

Team PCA – Charlotte, Luke, Rob and Tim – went on a tour of the Tamar Bridge, organised by the Exeter City Club branch of the Institute of Civil Engineers (ICE).

The two-hour tour focused on two key factors of the bridge, beneath the road deck and in the anchorage. Led by Tamar Crossings, the organisation that manages the bridge, the visit also included the catwalks under the road bridge, offering great views of Brunel’s Royal Albert Bridge.

The tour featured a walk to the main tower on the Devon bank and back. Following the under bridge tour, the group then descended to one of the anchorages on the Devon bank to view where the main cable enters the ground.

Speakers included Tamar Crossings’ engineering manager Richard Cole, heritage officer Mark Tebbs, and volunteer Robert Venn.

PCA engineer Luke Shackleton said: “The Tamar Bridge is a great example of engineering and there was lots of discussion about how this 60-year old-structure is being maintained and improved to ensure it is fit for the future.

“While this is on a slightly different scale to our normal projects, the principle of analysing the existing structure to understand how it is working and to decide whether repairs or strengthening is needed for current or future use is applicable to any structure.

“Thanks to the ICE Exeter City Club for organising a great informative visit to such an impressive South West structure.”