Dover Bascule Bridge

Description

Victor Buyck fabricated and transported a single leaf bascule bridge as part of the transformation for Port of Dover's flagship Dover Western Docks Revival (DWDR) development.

The bascule bridge has been designed to maintain vehicular and pedestrian access along the Esplanade and will span the new navigation channel connecting the existing Wellington Dock with the new marina that is being built in in the outer harbour.

The bridge deck is attached by tie bars to a pivoting arm, which sits on top of a pair of masts, designed to represent ship masts. The deck is lifted using hydraulic cylinders, attached to the pivoting frame. The lifting mechanism is assisted by a steel filled counterweight section at the end of the balance arm.

The deck is 16m in length and 15.1m wide, and weighs 96 tonnes. It has a mast height of 16m and was brought in by a sea-going barge from our yard in Ghent, Belgium, and lifted into place by a substantial 1250t land based crawler crane.

In addition to the bascule bridge, two sector lock and mitre gates are being installed to provide 24hr access for marine craft into the Wellington Dock Navigation Channel, and also to provide flood protection during extreme high tide and storm surge conditions.