Bervie Jubilee Bridge

LOCATION: INBERVIE SCOTLAND, UK

Bervie Jubilee Bridge is an 88-year-old (in 2023) historic bridge located on the A92 at Inverbervie in Aberdeenshire and is on a key arterial route so an important section of infrastructure. The Bervie Jubilee Bridge, as we know it today, is the third bridge to be built on site. The first was constructed in 1697, consisting of two spans, which was then replaced by the second in 1799. This second bridge, located over the Bervie water, transported textiles from the thriving industrial settlement following the establishment of the first flax mill in 1788.

The bridge had cracks appearing in its concrete cover and water leakage from the deck through half-joints that carried de-icing salts from the road above. In 2008, following extensive deck joint replacement, deck repairs and waterproofing replacement in 2003, restoration of the support beams and half-joints using traditional structural concrete repairs were needed, partnered with state-of-the-art impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) methods to protect this structure from immediate corrosion issues and control in the long-term.

Product / System Used

Discrete anode ICCP system with CP101 and CP20 embedded sensors, AchillesICP network management system and AiMS.

Project Details

The final installation saw over 8,500 anodes drilled in with ICCP operation in 20 zones with separate control of the beams and the half-joints. These zones are networked together along the length of the bridge to minimize the amount of cable to the project and managed from a single communication point to the North of the bridge. The performance is managed using remote internet AiMS access to data and control functions and notified to the Owner on an annual basis whilst providing on-call access to performance throughout the year.

Project Impact

Exemplified in this project is the dovetailing of compliant reinforced concrete repair practices with the long-term benefits of corrosion mitigation and management. The historic aesthetic of the bridge was unharmed during the project, despite the requirement to be intrusive during the repair of the concrete and the installation of the ICCP drilled in anodes. The installed system also met compliance with all the requirements of the national conservation authority (Historic Scotland).

As well as the visual appearance being preserved, the embedded steel of the structure and surrounding concrete is protected by the ICCP system, meaning the service life of this vital asset is extended. Furthermore, the bridge can be continuously monitored remotely via the internet, to inform and create more proactive maintenance decisions, creating a sustainable solution for protecting this historic structure.

Arguably the most important impact is that there has been no return to disrepair in the past 15 years since commissioning of the ICCP.

Read our article ‘Making Bridges More Resilient Through ICCP’

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