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22 September 2010
One of the world’s leading
engineering, architectural and environmental consulting companies,
GHD, has received a high commendation in the 2010 Engineering
Excellence Awards - Engineering for Regional Communities
category.
The awards were judged on a
stringent criterion, recognising excellence in an engineering
project which makes a clearly demonstrated contribution to the
well-being of a defined regional community in terms of its
lifestyle, economy and/or environment.
The Swansea Bridge was
constructed in the mid 1980’s and harsh marine exposure conditions
had resulted in corrosion and bridge deterioration. GHD adopted
Cathodic Protection (CP) as the most favourable option to reinforce
the popular thoroughfare. Concrete CP is a state of the art
technique utilising DC electric current to combat reinforcement
corrosion.
Following the recognition, GHD
Project Director Dr. Mohammad Ali said, “We chose this pioneering
technology as a way to preserve the structure in the long term. CP
offered minimal disturbance to the community and environment, and
was the most cost-effective option.”
"There were concerns with
the impact of CP on local marine life surrounding the bridge.
We undertook an extensive ecological study in this project to
address these concerns. The end result is a safe, secure protective
mechanism that will enable the community to continue to use the
bridge without disruption, well into the future."
GHD worked closely with the NSW
Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) in delivering the options
analysis and final design for the CP solution. The RTA retained
GHD’s services as technical advisors during the construction phase
of the project.
For more information please contact Kane
Dowsett