Cleveland Bridge collapses

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roadtester
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Cleveland Bridge collapses

Post by roadtester »

The famous British firm Cleveland Bridge has collapsed. I've mentioned this here in British and Irish roads rather than Transport & Driving/Unleashed because they are so closely identified with so many of the specific roads and structures that we have discussed extensively in these forums over the years.

These include the original Severn Bridge and the Dartford bridge. More examples mentioned here:

https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/ ... nd-bridge/

Here's hoping the company can be rescued in some form, preserving the concentration of expertise it embodies.
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wrinkly
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Re: Cleveland Bridge collapses

Post by wrinkly »

Is Fairfield Mabey of Chepstow still going? I've always thought of them as the country's other main bridge company.
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Conekicker
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Re: Cleveland Bridge collapses

Post by Conekicker »

That's bad news. The experienced staff are likely to be cherry-picked and their knowledge thus dispersed to the four winds. I wonder how many will simply now retire?
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RichardA35
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Re: Cleveland Bridge collapses

Post by RichardA35 »

wrinkly wrote: Wed Jul 21, 2021 19:50 Is Fairfield Mabey of Chepstow still going? I've always thought of them as the country's other main bridge company.
Unfortunately FM went to the wall some years ago and quite a few of the staff were working for Cleveland Bridge.
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Stevie D
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Re: Cleveland Bridge collapses

Post by Stevie D »

It might be sensible not to name a thread "<X> Bridge collapses" unless you want to cause undue panic about a possible actual bridge collapse...
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roadtester
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Re: Cleveland Bridge collapses

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Stevie D wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 00:26 It might be sensible not to name a thread "<X> Bridge collapses" unless you want to cause undue panic about a possible actual bridge collapse...
That was deliberate - I was relying on our well-informed SABRE members knowing that the reference was likely to be to the company and get the small joke!
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M4Simon
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Re: Cleveland Bridge collapses

Post by M4Simon »

roadtester wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 00:36
Stevie D wrote: Thu Jul 22, 2021 00:26 It might be sensible not to name a thread "<X> Bridge collapses" unless you want to cause undue panic about a possible actual bridge collapse...
That was deliberate - I was relying on our well-informed SABRE members knowing that the reference was likely to be to the company and get the small joke!
I drove past this (now rebuilt) bridge last weekend, and so the first thing I thought about was an actual bridge collapse.

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KeithW
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Re: Cleveland Bridge collapses

Post by KeithW »

A little more has become clear. The company has 18 months of orders on the books and is likely to be sold as a going concern. Their main problem seems to have been a major project in Sri Lanka that was put on hold which has reduced the short term revenue stream. They had already begun fabricating road bridges to replace inadequate structures when the client called a halt. This left a significant hole in their income which had already been impacted by covid-19. The current owners, a Saudi company have decided not to plug the hole.

https://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/news/ ... an-agreed/
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Re: Cleveland Bridge collapses

Post by roadtester »

Well without wishing to get too political in a roads thread, it's a real test of the local Tory mayor and MPs mentioned in the article.

This is when we find out whether slogans like "Northern Powerhouse" and "levelling up" have any meaning when an important local employer is threatened and whether the faith locals placed in these politicians turns out to be justified.
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