Redhayes Bridge

This is the first bridge in the UK to be designed and constructed to the new Eurocodes Standards.

Location

Exeter, Devon, England, UK

Client

Devon County Council

Project Status

Completed in 2011

Helping Exeter Improve its Transportation Network

A visually striking twin-arch bowstring bridge with a 269-foot (82-meter) span, Redhayes was the first bridge in the UK to be designed and constructed to the new Eurocodes standards.

The bridge itself fulfilled a specific need to connect a major development area to the east of Exeter into the city's sustainable transport networks. Upon opening, the bridge re-established a local travel corridor that was severed when the M5 motorway was built around 40 years ago.

The First to Apply Eurocodes Standards

Redhayes Bridge represents pioneering bridge design. Our client, Devon County Council, took a progressive approach and saw the benefits of adopting the Eurocodes standards before they became mandatory. This enabled some specific elements of emerging best practice to be included, such as an improved buckling analysis, which would not have been covered by the pre-existing national standards. It also allowed the joint team to prove the application of the Eurocodes requirements in a live project environment.

A focused peer review team of Eurocode experts was created to undertake regular technical progress reviews and review detailed design method statements for all key work stages. This process supported the delivery of the project, which was achieved on time and to budget.