Stepped access Design, Fabrication & Installation
A client asked Stonbury to stabilise the banks at a monitoring station on the River Isbourne to improve the safety of the access to the river bank. The scope included the installation of a secure, gated, non-slip staircase with handrails, and cleaning and calibrating the river level gauge boards.
The planned works did not impact the river flow, so there was no need to obtain an Environment Agency; Flood Risk Activity Permit (FRAP) permit, which saved the client both time and money.
A design was submitted to the client for new stepped access, a pathway and gates, once approved, the site team began by strimming the working area for better access. The pathway was marked up and levelled, and shuttering was installed for the raised concrete slab at the top of the steps.
The step access was fabricated inhouse and delivered to site for installation. Assembly of one side of the new step structure was carried out to identify the locations for the foundation slabs and shuttering was installed to the correct height. Rebar was then drilled into the existing concrete steps to ensure a secure bond with the new concrete and reinforcement mesh was installed inside each pad prior to the concrete pour.
Once the stairway assembly was complete, the three existing gauge boards and frames were removed from the bank and replaced with new frames and timber backing boards. To complete the works, the timber gate and posts were installed, and the bank was reshaped to suit the new steps, using the available material on-site.
Following a site visit and sign off by the client, the site team strimmed the compound with the use of a low carbon battery-operated strimmer and demobilised from site.