Press Release
13 October 2015
Photo caption: Finnish engineering students from Aalto University in Helsinki pictured during a visit to the Mersey Gateway Project in Halton.
Scandinavian students get a lesson in bridge building from Mersey Gateway engineers
Students from one of Scandinavia's top engineering universities have travelled to Halton for a lesson in bridge building.
Thirty students from Aalto University in Helsinki - the biggest university of technology in Finland - visited the Mersey Gateway Project during a week long field trip to the UK.
The budding engineers who are studying for Bachelors and Masters degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Civil Engineering are all members of the university's Guild of Mechanical Engineers.
Each year the Guild organises an annual field trip to a different European country, giving its members the opportunity to experience real industry environments that are directly related to their studies.
As the Mersey Gateway Project is one of the biggest infrastructure schemes currently underway in the UK, the students were keen to visit the site and learn more about the bridge construction process.
Undergraduate Tuukka Löytynoja, who is in his third year of a Mechanical Engineering degree at Aalto University, arranged the excursion to Halton.
He said: "It has been very interesting for us to see the machinery that is being used to build the bridge deck. Now we know how a bridge of this size can be built and the challenges that may be experienced during the construction process. Our thanks go to Merseylink for sharing this detailed information with us, which will help us in our studies."
The group enjoyed a site tour of the project's 1000 metre long trestle bridge, the recently launched movable scaffolding system (MSS), and the south bridge pylon, which is continuing to rise out of the river.
They also heard from Merseylink's Design Manager, George Moir, about how the latest techniques in engineering and technology are being used to deliver Halton's new bridge and road project.
Heikki Laaki,President of the Guild of Mechanical Engineers at Aalto University, said: "One of the best things about coming to the UK is seeing how things can be done differently. It has been a great opportunity to get an insight into the world of civil engineering by visiting such a huge site.
He added: "Visits like this provide motivation for our studies and give us a real understanding of engineering in practice. Thank you to the Mersey Gateway project team for hosting us."
Richard Walker, Project Director at Merseylink, was delighted to accommodate the visit, saying: "The Merseylink Consortium brings together UK expertise with world leaders in major bridge building and highways projects, to combine technology and best practice specifically for this project. It's fantastic to be able to share this knowledge and industry experience with the next generation of engineers."
The economic, transport and social benefits the project will bring to the region include:
470 permanent full-time equivalent jobs on site during construction
4,640 permanent direct and indirect jobs
£61.9 million a year in Gross Value Added from the new jobs by 2030.
When it opens in 2017, both the new bridge and the Silver Jubilee Bridge will be tolled, but they will be free* to Halton residents.
Ends
For further information please contact Chris Taylor or Karen Westcott at DTW on 01287 610 404 / 07949 287 356 / 07545 210 067 or emailchris@dtw.co.ukorkaren@dtw.co.uk.
Editors Notes:
About the project
The Mersey Gateway Project will be one of the largest infrastructure initiatives in the UK over the coming years. The Mersey Gateway Project has been identified as one of the UK government's Top 40 priority projects in theNational Infrastructure Planand it has been recognised by KPMG as one ofthe‘Top 100 infrastructure projects around the globe'.
Its features will include:
a 1,000m long cable stay bridge consisting of four spans supported from three towers in the estuary;
a unique design where the 80m high central tower will be shorter than the two outer towers, which will be 110m (north tower) and 125m (south tower) ;
a total length (including the bridge and approach viaducts) of 2.13km;
a deck carrying six lanes of traffic (three in each direction) with a speed limit of 60mph;
up to 30 supporting piers carrying it across the approach viaducts; and
a curved approach at each end of the bridge giving varying views of its unique design and maximising its visual impact.
*Residents of Halton will still need to register to use the bridges and there will be a small charge for this.
You can find out more about the project atwww.merseygateway.co.uk.
About the Merseylink consortium
The Merseylink Consortium was appointed by Halton Borough Council as the project company in 2014, on a 30-year contract to design, build, finance and operate the project.
Its equity partners are Macquarie Capital Group Limited, BBGI, and FCC Construcción. The construction joint venture is made up of Kier Infrastructure and Overseas Limited, Samsung C&T Corporation and FCC Construcción S.A.
Sanef S.A. will deliver and operate the tolling solution for the consortium.