Orchard Footbridge
case study

When the Orchard Footbridge across the Roman River at Stanway, Colchester,
became dangerous through erosion, Ringway Jacobs devised an innovative
solution that was cost-effective and environmentally friendly.
The bespoke solution replaced traditional steel sheet piling with recycled PVC plastic sheet piling incorporating a hybrid hexagonal king post system into which bamboo poles were driven to provide strength.
The combined use of PVC and bamboo presented a long-lasting and sustainable solution using easy to handle materials that could be installed in restricted locations.
We believe this is the first time these two environmentally-friendly and resource-efficient technologies have been used together in this way to produce a better engineering solution.