Reconnecting Somerset villages following severe flooding

Beer Wall, Somerset

Project Overview

Location	Beer Wall, Somerset
Sector	Highways
Products	Bridging & Site Access

Large sections of road on the Somerset Levels were overwhelmed with flooding, leaving a village cut off for two months. The A372 between Aller and Othery was one of the flood-hit roads and had to be closed for flood prevention work to take place.

The challenge

A temporary bridge was required whilst the installation of two new culverts took place, to allow flood water to drain underneath the road as opposed to flooding it and causing the road to be closed again. The scheme was led by Somerset County Council and the sub-contractor, Aspin Group.

Flooding on the Somerset Levels

Severe flooding overwhelmed large sections of road on the Somerset Levels, cutting off a village for two months. The A372 between Aller and Othery was among the worst affected and required closure for flood prevention works.

Preventing Future Closures

To reduce the risk of repeat flooding, two new culverts were installed to allow flood water to pass beneath the road rather than over it.

Temporary Bridge Solution

Led by Somerset County Council and subcontractor Aspin Group, a temporary bridge was installed to maintain access while the culvert works were completed.

Our solution

A 16m BeamBridge was installed to give an overall carriageway of 6.9 metres allowing for two-way traffic. In addition, a 15m single span, 2m wide Pedestrian BeamBridge was installed to allow safe access for pedestrians.

Our product advisor was on site during the placing of the bridge units onto their foundations, which was completed within three hours. Our bridge units allowed minimal closure time of the A372; the BeamBridge installation was carried out quickly and easily.

Our project manager commented: “This is a great example of the BeamBridge providing a safe, simple to install solution that minimised disruption to the public during deployment.”

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