Peri speeds renovation work

A scaffold made up of parts from the Peri Up Rosett Flex system have been used to provide access to a 1940 reinforced concrete arched bridge which crosses the Rio Tua in the Portuguese province of Trás-os-Montes.

The bridge has a complex geometry: a total length of 120 m and 8 m wide with a 80 m wide and 20 m high concrete arch. The superstructure is supported on a number of piers along the two side extension sections.

At present, various restoration measures are being undertaken: strengthening of the roadway surfacing and the T‑beam construction, repairing the concrete and corroded reinforcement, use of epoxy injection to fill the cracks as well as reconditioning the walkways and guardrails. The entire bridge deck will subsequently be re‑coated.

The modular construction method of the scaffold allows it to be adjusted to the bridge geometry and, it is designed to be assembled quickly and safely.

Peri says that its Peri Up scaffold combines the assembly advantages of system scaffolding with the flexibility of the tube and coupler scaffold which is far more time-consuming to erect. The 25 cm grid dimension is designed to allow easy and simple adjustments to a wide range of component geometries. Ledgers and decking can be matched to each other and all scaffold bays can be completely covered with system decking so there are no dangerous.

The erected scaffold has a maximum height of 20 m with the contact area on the ground extending to around 7 m while, at the highest point, the scaffold is 11.75 m wide. The scaffold has been constructed with a minimum of distance around each building component of the bridge including the concrete arch and the different dimensions of the piers.

The scaffolding has provided a safe working environment, which has helped accelerate the renovation work, so that construction time will fall below the originally scheduled seven months.