A five-year contract to maintain the bridges over the Medway at Rochester has been awarded to FM Conway, a leading infrastructure services company.
The Kent-based construction business, which has its headquarters in Dartford, will be responsible for the upkeep of the iconic Grade II listed Old Bridge, the 1970s New Bridge and the Service Bridge, as well as associated assets owned by the Rochester Bridge Trust.
FM Conway, which has a specialist bridges and structures division, previously worked for the Trust on a complex project to clean and inspect the river wall below Rochester Esplanade.
Sue Threader, chief executive of Rochester Bridge Trust, said: “The Trust is committed to maintaining its bridges to the very highest specifications both in terms of their structure and their appearance.
“FM Conway is one of the UK’s leading independent construction companies, which has won multiple awards for its work. The Trust looks forward to working with the company to meet our exacting standards.”
Michael Conway, CEO of FM Conway, said: “Our bridges and structures division has successfully delivered a string of major projects across the South East, including the renovation of Putney Bridge last year and the recent reconstruction of the Hogarth Flyover.
“This is a true area of specialism for our business, and we are extremely pleased to be able to bring this expertise to bear for the Rochester Bridge Trust and its portfolio of iconic bridges.”
The works covered by the contract principally comprise highway, footway and structure cleaning; drainage maintenance; minor repairs and street lighting maintenance. Additional duties such as foreshore debris removal will be instructed on an ad-hoc basis.
The contract is based on the NEC3: Term Service Contract and will be managed by the Trust’s nominated Bridge Engineer, Hyder Consulting (UK) Limited part of the Arcadis Group. FM Conway will start work on 18 May 2015 for a duration of five years, with a possible five-year extension.
Notes:
1. The Rochester Bridge Trust is a charitable trust that exists to maintain the old and new bridges at Rochester and serve the travelling public. It is the only surviving bridge trust still serving its original purpose, and it has served the people of Kent since 1399. The Trust also supports numerous community and education projects across historic Kent and Medway.
2. The Trust’s assets all derive from endowments of land and money in the 14th and 15th centuries and are carefully managed in order to provide an income to fund bridge maintenance and local charitable grants. The Trust receives no external funding and is regulated by the Charity Commission.
For more information:
The Rochester Bridge Trust
5 Esplanade
Rochester
Kent ME1 1QE
Tel: 01634 846706
Fax: 01634 840125
For further media information about FM Conway, please contact Peter Rogers or Tom Short at Camargue, tel: 020 7636 7366 or email: progers@camarguepr.com / tshort@camarguepr.com.