Awards for Schoolhouse Bridge, Montgomery Canal

The Small Projects Award from the Institution of Civil Engineers’ West Midlands Region (for projects with a value up to £2million) was awarded to Maccaferri, Montgomery Canal Reconstruction Ltd (the subsidiary of the charity the Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust), Beaver Bridges, Macrete Ireland, MEA, and Shropshire Council.

The judges recognised the remarkable work to restore the bridge. They said that the innovative use of Macrete’s Flexiarch system alongside Maccaferri’s Terramesh soil embankments reflected a commitment to the cultural heritage of the area whilst also enhancing the local eco systems in a sustainable way.

This award was followed by a commendation from the same organisation in its Heritage Awards when the judges praised the same team for the tremendous work that took place to restore a bridge that was originally demolished in the late ‘60s and marked another milestone in the continued efforts to close the ‘Shropshire Gap’ on the Montgomery Canal in Crickheath near Pant.

The main contractors for the project, Beaver Bridges of Shrewsbury were also highly commended by the Civil Engineering Contractors Association (Midlands) in the under £3 million Project of the Year awards for their work on Schoolhouse Bridge. Whilst not for the bridge, Beavers were also named Bridge Contractor of the Year at the New Civil Engineer awards in London.

The companies involved with the project were:

- Maccaferri, an international company whose North Wales & Midlands office designed soil embankments and retaining walls we needed to keep the bridge and approach roads within existing boundaries

- Macrete Ireland Ltd which manufactured and delivered their patented ‘flat-pack’ Flexi-Arch bridge system

- MEA is a professional team of chartered quantity surveyors and construction consultants who worked with Macrete and our retired civil engineer/bridge designer (Roger Bravey, BSc (Hons) C Eng MICE MCQI CQP) engineer on the technical details of the bridge design.

- Beaver Bridges is a Shrewsbury-based specialist bridge company operating on nationwide on a wide range of steel, timber, and concrete structures.

Shropshire Council provided help throughout the project in approving the design and specifications, the formalities of construction and adoption and the practical arrangements in areas such as closing the road and adapting public rights.

The Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust worked in partnership with other local canal charities to raise funds for the bridge through the Restore the Montgomery Canal! appeal and then to manage the reconstruction.

Montgomery Waterway Restoration Trust Chairman Michael Limbrey said, “Our canal charities which had spent so many years restoring the Montgomery Canal faced a real problem at Schoolhouse Bridge. The old bridge carrying a country lane over the canal had been swept away perhaps fifty years before and the canal was now blocked by a road embankment. The highway authority had no need to do anything about the obstruction and it would at best have been a very low priority for the canal owners, the Canal & River Trust. There was little likelihood of funds from the Lottery, the Council or any other public agency. So we decided to tackle the job ourselves.

“Our team of volunteers designed a new bridge, obtained the planning and technical approvals and arranged all the legal agreements. Over five years we raised funds through a public appeal which received tremendous support from private individuals, businesses and charitable trusts across the country.

“Our plan was to replace the embankment with a new arched bridge to modern highway standards. We were delighted that we were able to achieve through the enthusiastic support of the four specialist companies which have so deservedly been recognised by these awards.

“Now the bridge is finished but the canal bed still has to be restored and filled with water once again. Our volunteer work parties have been hard at work since the contractors left and are making great progress in reshaping the canal channel and making it watertight. And I am pleased to say that the fantastic support we received for the bridge has been continued by many generous donors who are helping us raise funds for these work parties. Donations to our Restore the Montgomery Canal! appeal will be welcome at localgiving.org/charity/restorethemontgomerycanal.

“The new bridge is part of a restoration which will bring boats back to the canal, joining mid-Wales to the national waterway network again with all the social and economic benefits that will bring. We know from other reopened canals that boats bring life to a canal and that boaters support local shops and pubs. And like those other canals, the restoration will protect the historic locks and bridges along the canal and safeguard its valued flora and fauna.”