Highways England Area 9 covers Gloucester, Shropshire, Staffordshire, Warwickshire, the West Midlands, Worcester and Herefordshire. Area 9 includes some of the UK’s busiest and most complex road systems, including Spaghetti Junction and parts of the M5, M6 and M42.

The Derwent Valley Aqueduct is one of Severn Trent Water’s most important assets, forming part of its strategic water grid it supplies more than 590,000 people with 200 million litres of treated water per day. It consists of 180km of large diameter pipeline, 16km of single 1.9m diameter tunnel, 1,000 valves, 74 bridges and culverts, and 307 other structures and chambers.

In 2014, Severn Trent Water put a team together to deliver the Derwent Valley Aqueduct Strategic Life Extension Project. Inertia Consulting Ltd was appointed as the Bridge Engineering Consultant. The project trialled a new Severn Trent strategy aimed at delivering projects 30% faster and more productively, with cost savings of 20%.

Highways England Areas 6 and 8 cover motorways and trunk roads in the east of England, including East Anglia. Since 2014, Inertia Consulting Ltd has worked with the main asset support contractor to inspect the many hundreds of bridges and other highway structures found within Areas 6 and 8, to assess their durability and safety.

Built in the 1960s, the A465 Heads of the Valleys Road joins together the northern heads of the South Wales Valleys. In 2014, work began to convert the road into a dual carriageway requiring the construction of several new road bridges, footbridges and retaining walls.

In 2014, concerns were raised around the condition of this 75m three span Victorian wrought iron ‘self-anchoring’ suspension footbridge. Staffordshire County Council asked Inertia Consulting to carry out a complex testing, capacity assessment and strengthening design on the structure, to restore the bridge to its former glory and make it strong and durable for future generations’ enjoyment.

The Bacton Gas Terminal is a strategic asset within the UK’s Gas National Transmission System (NTS). Located on the Norfolk coast 32km from Great Yarmouth, the terminal receives offshore gas from Perenco, Shell, and Eni, as well as the Netherlands-to-UK Balgzand Bacton (BBL) pipeline. Gas is then redistributed through the NTS to Great Yarmouth Power Station and local gas distribution networks.

Park Road reservoir is a 21 million litre concrete and iron reservoir that serves the North Ipswich area. Constructed in 1902, it is an impressive feat of Edwardian engineering consisting of an underground concrete tank that was covered with a grassy mound.

In 2011, it was identified that the reservoir required a major overhaul and deep clean. Inertia Consulting Ltd were appointed as Survey and Testing Consultant to carry out the inspection and testing works for a refurbishment and strengthening scheme.

Inertia Consulting Ltd was appointed to design and supervise the temporary works for the Spinningfields Footbridge, a 52m curved inverse arch catenary footbridge spanning the River Irwell in Manchester in a tight urban location.

More and more developments are being built close to, or on the path of, existing high-pressure gas pipelines. Some of these pipelines are shallow or susceptible to damage from additional loadings due to their age and condition. Therefore, the gas asset owners require contractors and developers to protect their assets by installing pipeline protection slabs above them. These enable any additional loads to be redistributed away from the high-pressure gas pipelines, helping prevent damage due to overloading.

Northumberland Park is a mainline railway station on the Lee Valley line, which forms part of the West Anglia Main Line. It serves the ward of Northumberland Park in Tottenham, providing a direct link into London Liverpool Street Station.

Inertia Consulting Ltd was appointed by JCDecaux to create a complex and iconic design for the Edinburgh arches on the Gogar roundabout on the A8. We were required to merge architectural aesthetics with structural ingenuity, as well as incorporate giant video advertising screens into our designs.

Erpingham Above Ground Installation (AGI) is another of the Feeder 2 block valve sites which form a key part of the UK Gas National Transmission System (NTS), which transfers gas from Bacton Gas Terminal. As part of their ‘National AGI Renovation Campaign’, which commenced in January 2018, National Grid decided to replace some of the older gas assets on Erpingham AGI as they were reaching the end of their working life.

Gadebridge is an urban park in Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire, which features a Grade II listed bridge built in 1840. Sometimes referred to as the White Bridge, Gadebridge Park Bridge is one of the world’s first cast iron structures.

The two Beanfield Water Towers at Corby were built in the 1960s and 1970s respectively. Number 1 holds 1.14 million litres whilst the larger Number 2 holds 3.41 million litres. The towers are part of an Anglian Water network which links Rutland Water to the Beanfield Reservoir and Water Towers via the Morcott and Wing Water Treatment Works. The treated water then flows into Hannington Reservoir in Northampton.

Up to 50% of the UK’s gas flows initially through the St Fergus Gas Terminal, which compresses it and feeds it into the Gas National Transmission System (NTS). The site features a network of compressors, pressure vessels, pipes and valves that keep the gas at the required operational pressures.

In 2015, the National Grid initiated the St Fergus Asset Health Scheme to assess and overhaul the 40-year-old asset. As part of the Scheme, it was identified that the vent intake steelwork within the compressor cabs was corroded and in need of replacement.

The project was a success, with a key benefit being the use of weathering steel for the main structure, as it avoids the need for maintenance – and associated disruption – during the bridge’s designed ‘in service’ life.

To ensure water supply resilience, Severn Trent have decided to build an alternative water supply comprising a 25km pipeline to supply water from the River Severn at Lickhill into the Frankley Water Treatment works. This will provide a backup water supply to over 1 million people in Birmingham and the surrounding areas whilst the aqueduct is refurbished and for use in any future emergencies. Preparation work to lay the pipeline started in 2016 and is scheduled for completion in May 2019.

In 2008, Inertia Consulting identified that the 70m Wilford Suspension Bridge in Nottingham had deteriorated significantly from previous inspections and its load-bearing capacity had become substandard. We were therefore appointed by Severn Trent Water plc to carry out a principal inspection, dimensional survey, capacity assessment, refurbishment scheme design – including temporary works – and construction supervision for the bridge.

Owned by Southern Water, Testwood Water Treatment Works is the largest in Hampshire. The Works draw 136 million litres of water a day from the River Test which are treated before supplying residents in Totton, Waterside, Southampton and the Isle of Wight. Testwood also supplies the Esso oil refinery at Fawley.

Guestwick Above Ground Installation (AGI) is one of the Feeder 2 block valve sites which form a key part of the UK Gas National Transmission System (NTS), which transfers gas from Bacton Gas Terminal. Due to its ageing infrastructure, Guestwick AGI was included as part of the National Grid’s ‘National AGI Renovation Campaign’, which commenced in January 2018.

Salthouse Footbridge is located just north of Petts Wood Station and provides a public footpath over the South Eastern Main Line. The footbridge is part of a local route between green spaces and provides access to a school.

Inertia Consulting Ltd were chosen to design a new bridge to modern standards to replace the original footbridge which was in poor condition.

The Derwent Valley Reservoir Complex consists of Howden, Derwent and Ladybower Reservoirs. Together, these form the largest body of open water in the Peak District and Derbyshire, with a combined capacity of nearly 464 billion litres.