Sheet Piling Retaining Wall Project to Help Keep Inverness Active
Active travel, physical fitness and pedestrian, cycling and wheeling safety are being ramped up in Scotland, with a little help from Sheet Piling (UK) Ltd and the installation of steel sheet piles.
Our team has engineered another Scottish sheet piling installation project, this time in the Inverness area, where we have worked with contractor, Pat Munro, on the Raigmore Active Travel Link works.
This project is all about encouraging more people to walk, wheel and cycle for better fitness and to not have to cross busy roads in pursuit of this goal.
The sheet piling permanent retaining wall installation
Sheet Piling UK employees have just finished installing a permanent retaining wall comprised of Emirates Steel ESZ24-700 sheet piles, which provides lateral earth retention for the switchback ramp arrangement within the Raigmore Active Travel Link project. This provides a pedestrian, cycle, wheeler and mobility scooter link, from the existing Golden Bridge in Inverness, to the Raigmore Interchange.
This has been something a little different for us, as a sheet pile contractor, even if sheet pile retaining walls are very much part of our everyday work.
The route allows access to the Inverness Shopping Park from the Raigmore Interchange via nearby Inverness Campus. The steel sheet piles have been clad in Ekki hardwood, to deliver the same aesthetic as those at the adjacent campus. Being able to clad steel sheet piles in such a way is yet another advantage of using steel for sheet pile wall projects.
Advantages of sheet piles in this project
The steel sheet piles, also known for their resilience and long lifespan, have been installed using our own unique and specially commissioned ABI TM20 long-reach telescopic leader rig. Being able to reach a full three metres further than any other sheet pile installation rig, this rig has allowed enabling works to be drastically simplified, cutting the cost of the project, whilst also preventing unnecessary delay.
Vibration and noise monitoring has also been in place, as ourselves and the Pat Munro team have sought to minimise disruption and the disturbance of local residents, whilst working within legal requirements.
The project, due for completion in September, has been funded by the Scottish Government, through Transport Scotland and Sustrans, and will add to the sustainability of travel in the local area. Benefits of the project are predicted to be felt by local people, the environment and the NHS too, as people become fitter, by becoming more active in a safe manner and with more confidence, away from traffic and busy roads.
The plans are to landscape the route by planting 4000 shrubs and 465 trees. The ‘root system’, however, in terms of a strong and stable sheet pile permanent retaining wall, is already in place.
If you require our services as a sheet pile contractor and installation specialist, wherever you are in the UK or Ireland, please get in touch with us on 01772 794141, or explore the rest of our website for more details.
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Sheet Piling (UK) Limited is one of the UK's leading piling contractors. Owning and operating a comprehensive range of specialist piling equipment Sheet Piling (UK) Ltd also carry extensive stocks of new and used piles enabling rapid reaction to any urgent requirements or emergency situations.