Bank Stabilization Works on the River Cam

Image source: Rothen Group

Rothen Group, a national independent civil engineering and maintenance business servicing UK Waterways, has successfully stabilized the River Cam’s collapsing bank in just four months.

Working together with UK-based construction and civil engineering company – JN Bentley – Rothen Group offered a solution that would not only save the hard to access bank from collapsing, but would also be completed swiftly, for ecological and environmental protection concerns, given that the site is of special scientific interest, announced the company.

As a result, Rothen Group’s new 26ft wide-beam digger pontoon and a marine ready excavator, was used to clear the vegetation and install over 500m of piling to stabilize the river bank.

The wide-beam digger pontoon is fitted with a small hydraulic power pack which operates four stability jack legs, allowing the pontoon to hold up to 8 tonnes of machinery, whilst on the water.

Commenting the completed project, Ian Rothen, Founder of The Rothen Group, said: “Due to the rural setting of the works, there was no access for land-based plant equipment, other than at the centrally located compound. This meant that all access for the piling and vegetation clearance works had to be undertaken from a waterborne plant.”

Colin Wilkinson, Contract Manager, at JN Bentley added: “What could have been a potentially tricky site was dealt with professionally and promptly throughout the programming and delivery. Expertise from the ecological arm of the business was also an added benefit due to the time sensitive nature of the works being completed and the location on a site of special scientific interest.