Millions Saved on Royal Border Bridge Refurbishment

HAKI Access Solutions were proud to contribute to the recent refurbishment of the iconic Royal Border Bridge in Berwick-upon-Tweed.

The multi-million pound works package completed by our customer Rope Tech Access Solutions on behalf of Network Rail and Story Contracting comprised of masonry and blockwork repairs throughout the structure along with repairs to existing steel strengthening ties and the addition of further ties all designed to bring the Grade I listed, 170 year old structure back to it's former glory and preserve an important part of Robert Stephenson's engineering legacy. 

HAKI Access Solutions were awarded the design and install package for the access scheme with the overall aim being to avoid the need for the extensive scaffolding used on a previous intervention 30 years earlier. The main benefit for our customer of being able to reduce the volume of scaffolding required are cost and time savings with the added benefit of the access scheme having less impact on the structure in terms of weight and fixings required. 

A temporary walkway was installed by rope access technicians to provide access to the external elevations of the bridge across the River Tweed with suspended access cradles used to provide access under the arches. This innovative access system provided savings of around £5m to the project when compared with traditional scaffolding estimates and allowed the line to remain open for the duration of the works. 

During the project, once engineers were able to complete close inspections with the access system in place, further repairs were identified and able to be completed thanks to the savings provided by the access system.

“It is great that this major project to restore the iconic Royal Border Bridge has now been completed. 

“By working innovatively, we’ve managed to make major savings and keep a vital part of the railway open to passengers during the programme of work. The repairs will mean that we won’t need to complete any major maintenance work for the next 30 years and I’m delighted that the bridge is back to its former glory.”