A long-running saga over a crumbling wall at Pier Road in Gillingham has been brought to an end and its safety risk, first identified in 2009, has finally been put to rest.
VolkerHighways completed the demolition and reconstruction of the retaining wall on behalf of Medway Council to make it structurally safe.
The wall is around 15 metres long, with a maximum height of 1.75 metres, plus another 1.75m for the parapet on top, totalling 3.5m. The remaining parapet replacement in total was 111m long but the overall height varied.
The repair ends local frustrations over the wall, which had been left behind a controversial blue hoarding since it was identified as a serious health and safety risk in 2009 but was not initially recorded as a council asset.
Initial site surveys were carried out by Project Centre, after which a comprehensive feasibility study of the wall was completed, exposing several sections of the wall that needed replacing.
As the wall is adjacent to a dual carriageway, the scheme was completed in phases and the team predominately worked during off-peak hours.
It was decided that to safely remove the wall, six garages adjacent to the structure should be demolished and re-built due to their proximity.
Once the wall was built, re-construction of the garages, access driveways and footway reinstatement began.
The discovery of asbestos under the foundation slab of the garages and the relocation of residents’ belongings into storage units, saw the team engaged closely with local residents throughout.
Jennifer Grey, structures engineer at Medway Council, said: ‘We were highly satisfied with the management of the Pier Road project. While the construction of the wall took longer than initially expected, it was completed to a very high standard.
‘The quality of both the wall and the garages exceeded our expectations, with both being finished to an exceptionally high standard.
‘We also greatly appreciated the effective management provided by VolkerHighways throughout the project.’
Jerry Pert, operations director at VolkerHighways, said: ‘Pier Road scheme required extensive co-ordination across multiple organisations, from site surveys to construction and safety management.’
