Purpose

To seek approval of the appointment of consultants to
progress the engineering design work associated with a
solution to relieve the stresses on Commercial Street
Bridge due to thermal expansion of the bridge deck in high
temperatures and restricted gap between abutments

Decision

Approve the appointment of ARUP to undertake the
engineering design work associated with the delivery of a
intervention at Commercial Street Bridge at a ceiling cost of
£150,000.

Alternative options considered

Option 1 – do nothing. This leaves the risk of damage occurring
to the structure during a period of hot weather and potential
closure of this critical link on the tram network. There is an
increased likelihood of extreme weather events and therefore
this solution is not recommended.

Option 2 – monitor the structure. This is similar to doing
nothing, but it provides comfort of monitoring the structure
to ensure if damage does occur remedial action is
immediately taken, minimising the risk to tram services.
Currently the structure requires inspection after
temperatures exceed 35 degrees Celsius and constant
monitoring would reduce delays in restarting service, if no
damage is observed. There is an increased likelihood of
extreme weather events and therefore this solution is not
recommended.

Option 3 – utilise existing available funding to design a
remediation scheme in preparation for a business case to
be developed for a permanent solution to deal with the
bridge expansion issue. This would resolve any issues with
future expansion of the structure, would protect SYMCA
against the risk of future damage given the likely increase
in extreme weather events and is therefore recommended.

Appointment of consultants from SYMCA Engineering
framework 2023-2027; Lot 2, chosen as most efficient
means of appointment in terms of lead times and familiarity
with SYMCA requirements.