Eight apprentices studying at Nottingham Trent University visited the Grantham Southern Relief Road on Thursday 16 April for a glimpse into building the new bridge over the East Coast Main Line and River Witham.
Cllr David East, executive member for highways, said: “It was a true pleasure welcoming this group of eight people from Nottingham Trent University to the Grantham Southern Relief Road. The fact that our major road projects can offer students and apprentices the chance to gain real-world learning opportunities is something we, as a council, are very proud of.
“Being able to see one of the county’s most complex, live construction sites in action is integral to piquing their interest in engineering even further so that they eventually become this country’s next generation of civil and building engineers.”
Adrian Podmore, a 43-year-old student apprentice from Nottingham Trent University working towards completing his HNC Level 4 Civil Engineering Senior Technician apprenticeship, said: “Our visit gave me great insight into the methods of installing bridges. This one, in particular, is its own beast that comes with its own challenges. The way it’s being built is a methodology I’ve never seen used before because it’s such a big span to overcome. Constructing a bridge of this size over a rail line and river comes with some major challenges, so it was interesting to see how these are being overcome.
“The visit really opened my eyes into the way that structures are built. Seeing one like this shows how the load is spread and how different elements interact with one another. This is definitely something I’ll be able to refer back to as part of my current railway engineering apprenticeship.”
Amelia Billing, 23, who is also working through her HNC Level 4 Civil Engineering Senior Technician apprenticeship with Nottingham Trent University, said: “I currently work within a housing department, looking at piling specifically – so our site visit really opened my eyes to some of the other aspects of engineering I could work within in the future.
“The piers here are built on piles so it was interesting to see how this was happening on a much larger scale than what I’ve been involved in from a housing perspective.
“I think this visit will really help me better understand the concepts we’ve covering in my coursework. Up until now, there are some theories I couldn’t wrap my head around having not seen an in-person example. But today really allowed me to better understand how a bridge is built, particularly the process and methodologies used to design something this size.”
Garvin Okoror, Civil Engineering Lecturer from Nottingham Trent University, said: “Visits like this one are great because, although we’ve learnt the topics theoretically, it’s important to see an actual project being carried out where students can have an experiential knowledge of it.
“A project like the Grantham Southern Relief Road helps apprentices understand the spatial awareness of aspects of projects, for example, the bridge in construction now.
“I want to say a massive thank you to everyone involved in helping make our visit a reality. Experiences like this are invaluable, and we’re looking forward to working with the county council again to organise visits to other road schemes happening within Lincolnshire.”
Barry Knox, Contracts Manager for Galliford Try, said: “Engaging with and encouraging young people interested in engineering is a very high priority to us. The industry has so many opportunities, and it’s our intention to ensure that young people can experience construction first-hand as they work towards a fulfilling and prosperous life-long career.”
Work is currently underway to build the new section of the new bridge ahead of the next push in June.
For more information about the Grantham Southern Relief Road project, visit www.lincolnshire.gov.uk/gsrr.
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