HAKI BRIDGE SYSTEM SUCCESS ON DURLEIGH RESERVOIR PROJECT 

Just three miles west of Bridgwater, Somerset, lies Durleigh Reservoir, a popular nature reserve and fishing site for the south west’s ambitious anglers. 

But as well as being a means of escape for the community, the reservoir also delivers clean water to the county of Somerset. To ensure the Durleigh site continues to provide high-quality water to its customers, owners Wessex Water invested in a £50m reconstruction scheme to create a new water treatment centre; an essential element of the company’s long-term water supply strategy for Somerset. 

With a project timeframe of June 2019 to March 2022, temporary solutions provider HAKI was called upon to deliver its HAKI Bridge System (HBS) to sustain crucial access across a public highway, and footpath for site workers. 

Purchased at a price of £50k, this high-performing bridge system was installed alongside two 6-metre high twin-flight stair towers. Conforming to the leading British and European standards, the HAKI Bridge System has been pioneered to provide safe, temporary access across road or river crossings whilst infrastructure projects are underway. The system, which can handle loading of up to 7.5kN/m2, also acts as a spine beam to reinforce other structures, such as scaffolding and temporary roofs. 

For the Durleigh Reservoir project, HAKI’s stair towers worked in conjunction with the HBS to provide safe, secure site worker access to the bridge. 

After contractor Wessex Water Engineering and Construction created the initial lay-out, HAKI performed the structural lay-out and design calculations, which were subsequently approved by Wessex Water’s in-house teams. 

When it came to onsite assembly, HAKI’s technician provided essential supervision, support and advice to Wessex Water Engineering and Construction, making for a seamless, straightforward construction process. 

Paul Hollard, Site Manager at Wessex Water Engineering and Construction, said HAKI proved indispensable on this part of the project: 

Not only was the kit delivered on time, but HAKI’s technical specialist, Barry, was extremely helpful and knew the products inside out. Once we’d cast the foundations, HAKI worked with us to construct the stair towers. Rather impressively, the HAKI Bridge System was craned into place by both teams in under 10 minutes. This meant that during the bridge’s erection, disruption to the public highway traffic was kept to 10 minutes.” 

As a result of its speed of construction, the HBS also ensured minimal disturbance to the wildlife which calls the reservoir home. 

On a time-sensitive project, the sophistication of HAKI’s products, the customer service and the diligence of its engineers were second to none. There’s a reason why the company has a reputation for high-quality access equipment!” 

HAKI’s temporary access works will be in-situ for 30 months, and will provide important access for all pedestrian and construction traffic for three years. Delivering on quality, service and expertise, the presence of HAKI’s high-performance bridge system and stair towers will ensure safe ingress and egress from the Durleigh Reservoir site until the project reaches the end of its lifecycle in 2022.