Fast-track, high-pressure bridge demolition projects, where timeous completion and safety performance is critical, is a specialised area of expertise for Jet Demolition. The company’s innovative, state-of-the-art, and technically-advanced methods and machinery allow it to tackle the most demanding and complex bridge demolition projects.
“Here the increased risk and high-pressure conditions lend themselves to our specific set of expertise,” Jet Demolition Contracts Manager Kate Bester (N. Dip. Civil Engineering) comments. Bridge-demolition projects are typically on a turnkey, rapid-demolition basis.
They generally include all aspects of road safety – from temporary road closure design and implementation, to extensive communication and consultation with the general public, and liaison with all relevant authorities – to engineering of suitable demolition methods, planning for unforeseen circumstances, and final road clearing.
Emergency demolition is often required where bridge stability or safety is compromised by an unforeseen event, such as traffic accidents that have impacted on a bridge structure, or vandalism causing structural stability concerns. Emergency bridge projects invariably impact on the travelling public, as these are, by nature, unplanned and unforeseen.
“One of the greatest challenges on an emergency bridge project is to mobilise our plant and personnel to the works. If a bridge is compromised, all traffic in the immediate area is gridlocked, until such time that alternative routes are made available. Under these circumstances, we rely heavily on the assistance of traffic authorities to provide emergency escorts to the site, fast-tracking the establishment of plant and personnel,” Bester explains.
Any form of emergency work is always a concern, as the structural stability of the collapsed or endangered structure is unknown. It is thus critical to have seasoned and experienced demolition personnel on-site as soon as practically possible to thoroughly assess, manage, and mitigate the relevant risks.
Often the first responders to an emergency project include operations and engineering team members, who can then assess the initial risk, and provide feedback to the rest of the team at head office, advising as to the envisaged methods and resource requirements.
“Jet Demolition’s strength lies in its people and plant. Our crews are disciplined, experienced, and responsible. This company ethic ensures that we are able to keep ourselves, and our team members, safe during the most challenging projects.
“Furthermore, our redundancy and variety of plant and equipment allows us to provide rapid-response to emergency projects, with demolition typically being able to commence within a few hours of the initial incident,” Bester concludes.