PLANNING, EXPERTISE ESSENTIAL FOR HIGH-RISK 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 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 unforeseen events, such as traffic accidents, that have impacted the 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 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 compromised structure is unknown. It is thus critical to have seasoned and experienced demolition personnel on-site as soon as possible to assess, manage, and mitigate the relevant risks.
Often first responders to an emergency project include operations and engineering team members, who assess the initial risk, and provide feedback to the rest of the team at head office, advising on the envisaged methods and resource requirements.
“Jet Demolition’s strength lies in its people and plant. Our crews are disciplined, experienced, and responsible, keeping everyone 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.
About Jet Demolition
Jet Demolition has been undertaking industrial demolition works since 1994, and is the leading, largest, and most technically-advanced demolition company in Africa. It offers in-house, full-range demolition services, including advanced mechanical solutions and controlled implosions. It actively pursues ongoing development of skills and equipment suited to the changing needs of the industry.
More information from Rashree Maharaj, Tel: +27(0)11 495 3800 / Email: rashree@jetdemolition.co.za / Web: www.jetdemolition.co.za
