Engineers on ropes face daunting 100ft climb to inspect Hull tidal barrier

Lorna Hughes
·2-min read
The concrete and steel components of the Grade II listed Hull tidal surge barrier were checked during recent inspections
-Credit: (Image: RSK Group)


Engineers faced a daunting 100ft climb using ropes to inspect Hull's tidal barrier. The concrete and steel components of the Grade II listed structure were checked during seven weeks of inspections.

They used specialist rope access techniques to work at the extreme height - the equivalent of around 30m. The barrier was still in operation during the inspections, which finished in September.

The work was carried out by contractors from CAN as part of its work with civil engineering firms BAM UK & Ireland and Arup on behalf of the Environment Agency. It says the inspections provided vital data for the maintenance plan for the tidal barrier.

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CAN Project Manager Louis Thomas said: “Because the barrier is an active element of critical infrastructure and had to remain operational while work was carried out, non-traditional access methods were used. Industrial rope access and confined space access techniques using specialised rigging in conjunction with mobile elevated work platforms (MEWP) enabled our team to access the barrier without the need for scaffolding.

"This ensured the barrier could be cleared quickly to enable operation at any time throughout the inspection works – which it did, on three separate occasions.”

Specialist rope access techniques were used to inspect the Hull tidal surge barrier
Specialist rope access techniques were used to inspect the Hull tidal surge barrier -Credit:RSK Group

Steelwork to the barrier gate was inspected at 92 separate locations, with more than than 260 individual weld or bolt inspections within those. Concrete cores were taken at 12 separate locations on the towers, while steelwork gate of the barrier and its concrete cores.

The Hull tidal barrier is used by the Environment Agency to prevent tidal surges from flooding the city. Construction on the barrier began in 1977 after severe flooding in 1969. It officially opened in 1980.

Environment Agency spokesperson Anupriya Prabhuswamy said: “The Hull tidal surge barrier is a hugely important structure to the city of Hull. It protects the city from flooding, and the work that has been done will establish the current condition of the barrier and subsequently inform the plan to maintain this structure so it can continue to provide protection for the future.”

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