Tank advances over advanced technology for the opening of Europe's first plastic public highway bridge

On 29th October 2002, Mouchel proudly officially opened West Mill bridge, the first ever highway bridge to be made from a revolutionary type of plastic, by sending a 34 tonne Sherman tank to make the first ever drive across the bridge to show off the new bridge's superior strength and durability.

The bridge, situated in Shrivenham Oxfordshire, was opened by Bill O'Brien MP, member of the Transport Select Committee, and is the first of its kind anywhere in Western Europe to be constructed from a brand new type of composite material called ASSET, which stands for (Advanced Structural Systems for Tomorrow's Infrastructure), and replaces the existing West Mill Bridge over the River Cole. Speaking at the opening, Mr O'Brien applauded the innovation of the ASSET project by saying, "It is extremely exciting to think that in the near future we will be able to use such an innovative product, such as ASSET, when constructing all of our major structures. The development of such a material that will save time and more importantly money is fantastic news for the construction and highways industries."
Built on behalf of Oxfordshire County Council, the new bridge is made from glass and carbon fibre-reinforced polymer that is very strong and lightweight and can replace reinforced concrete or steel decks, and is a result of a four year, £2.9 million research project, which has been developed by a European consortium of seven partners and received £1.5 m of European Commission funding.
Speaking on behalf of Mouchel, Director of Advanced Engineering, Dr. Sam Luke said, "The ASSET project has been four years in development and the results have been highly successful. Mouchel is delighted to have lead and been part of the consortium that has developed such an innovative, important and versatile system. The huge investment in terms of time, commitment, dedication and finance by all partners is creditable, and I would like to say a special thank you to all the members of the team who have contributed to this success."
Oxfordshire County Council's Head of Bridges, Peter Brown commented, "We are very pleased to have been part of ASSET. The significant developments made over the last 4 years in ASSET have convinced us of the major potential this technology will have for large asset owners like ourselves in terms of speed of installation, reduced whole life costs, and long term durability. The strength and versatility of the system developed in ASSET gave us the confidence to replace West Mill Bridge with the products developed within the project. We have pioneered the use of new technologies in the County for many years and seen tangible benefits, and we will continue to look for opportunities in the future."
Work on site commenced at the end of July 2002, starting with demolishing the old bridge, including the foundations and abutments. The span of the bridge was also increased with new abutments being constructed to take the new advanced composites materials deck.
The development, manufacture, testing and use of the ASSET Profile together with the building of West Mill Bridge were the core objectives of the project, which is part funded by the European Commission under the Materials Technologies Brite EuRam III. Mouchel's advanced engineering team is responsible for analysis, design, optimisation of the ASSET profiles and for the design of West Mill Bridge, plus the production of design rules and specifications, leading European pultruder, FiberLine Composites manufactured the advanced composite materials and Skanska is responsible for building the bridge.
,For further information contact:,Mouchel plc ,Stuart Black - Group Business Development Director ,Telephone: [phone]
Press enquiries:,Tamesis Business Communications ,Cath Cookson ,Telephone: [phone]

Countries

United Kingdom