Engineered scaffolding and suspended access for railway viaduct refurbishment
The refurbishment of Forteviot Viaduct in Perthshire required a bespoke scaffolding solution to support steel repairs, grit blasting and painting works. Restricted clearance beneath the bridge, proximity to the river and varying structural conditions across the spans presented complex access and engineering challenges.
Scope
Brand Access Solutions, formerly Lyndon SGB, was appointed by Story Contracting to provide scaffolding access for steel repairs, grit blasting and painting works on Forteviot Viaduct in Perthshire, Scotland, on behalf of Network Rail.
The 12-week project involved the design, erection and dismantling of a bespoke tube-and-fitting scaffold system. Alloy beams were used to create bridged access platforms beneath the bridge deck, complemented by access scaffolding along both side elevations.
The temporary access structures were designed in-house by Brand Access Solutions and erected by a team of four advanced scaffolders. Installation began in October 2021, with dismantling completed shortly before Christmas.
Challenge
The viaduct's location and proximity to the river created several engineering challenges. Different spans required individual scaffolding configurations to accommodate restricted working heights, existing structural features and the requirements of the refurbishment works.
At Span 1 (Deck 1), the limited distance between the underside of the bridge girders and the ground restricted the available working space. The scaffold platform had to be positioned as close to the ground as possible to maximise clearance beneath the bridge. The boarded platform also needed to contain spent grit from the blasting operations.
At Span 2 (Decks 2–13), only edge protection scaffolding was required. However, existing drainage holes restricted the positioning of the guardrail supports. The design therefore incorporated guardrail puncheons anchored to the concrete face using band-and-plate couplers at two levels to support double guardrails and toe boards.
Spans 3 and 4 (Decks 14 and 15) presented additional challenges due to restricted clearance above the river. These sections required suspended cantilevered access scaffolding with full encapsulation to accommodate grit blasting works. The design incorporated 450 mm deep scaffold beams supported beneath the outer girders and extending beyond both sides of the bridge to carry the working platforms and encapsulation frames.
River water levels were monitored by the client throughout the project using a telemetry monitoring system.
Performance
Brand Access Solutions developed span-specific scaffolding configurations to accommodate the different structural and environmental constraints of Forteviot Viaduct.
The combination of tube-and-fitting scaffolding, alloy beams, suspended cantilevered platforms and edge protection provided the access arrangements required for steel repairs, grit blasting and painting.
The tailored designs addressed the restricted clearance beneath the bridge, accommodated existing drainage openings and enabled fully encapsulated working platforms to be installed above the river.
The scaffolding was erected and subsequently dismantled by four advanced scaffolders within the 12-week project period. According to Brand Access Solutions, the completed installation met Story Contracting's specifications and was delivered several days ahead of the programmed dates.
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Important Note.
Lyndon SGB rebranded to Brand Access Solutions on February 4, 2025.
Projects were delivered at the time under the trading names of: Lyndon SGB, SGB, Lyndon Scaffolding or Taylor’s Hoists.