Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Technical Support Contract

The Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferries are jointly owned by Cornwall Council and Plymouth City Council. The two crossings are operated, maintained and improved by the Tamar Bridge and Torpoint Ferry Joint Committee (also known as Tamar Crossings) on behalf of the parent authorities.

The Tamar Bridge forms a vital road link on the A38 across the river Tamar estuary connecting the town of Saltash in Cornwall and the city of Plymouth in Devon.

The Torpoint Ferries cross the lower reaches of the river Tamar (also known as the Hamoaze) between Torpoint in Cornwall and Devonport in Plymouth.

The Tamar bridge was opened in 1961 and at the time of opening was the longest suspension bridge in the UK. It is a conventional suspension bridge with a total length of 642m, a main span of 335m and each side span is 114m. The stiffening truss is approximately 5.5m deep. The road deck level is approximately 35m above the River Tamar. Each main tower and side tower is constructed from concrete. The main towers are approximately 76m tall.

On average the bridge carries 45,000 vehicles daily.

The bridge was strengthened and widened between 1999 and 2001 increasing the capacity of the bridge from 3 traffic lanes to 4 traffic lanes and adding a dedicated pedestrian and cycle path.

Tamar Crossings employ a small in house engineering team that manage bridge inspections, maintenance works and engineering projects. Bridge inspections are undertaken in accordance with the Department for Transport and National Highways Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) CS450 , industry best practice, and regimes developed specifically by the overseeing organisation for the Tamar Bridge.

The joint authorities seek to appoint an experienced consultant with a demonstrable background in the design, maintenance and improvement of cable supported bridge structures, particularly suspension bridges. The experienced consultant will be required to support the in house engineering team and undertake annual bridge inspections and undertake other special inspection activities as required/necessary. The joint authorities also require the appointed consultant to provide design and other technical expertise and support related to the ongoing operation and maintenance of the bridge. This could include the preparation of works information, specifications, preparation of tender documentation, providing impartial evaluation of tendered bids and providing ongoing contract management support, as may be necessary, in relation to key maintenance contracts.

The appointed consultant will be required to act as Principal Designer under the Construction Design and Management Regulations 2015.

The contract may also require the appointed consultant to undertake specific work at the Torpoint Ferries, although this will be limited to shoreside infrastructure only, such as inspections or providing advice on concrete slipways, retaining walls, sheet pile retaining structures and the Torpoint ferry chain counterweight structures.

The joint authorities intend to let the Technical Support Contract for a four year period, commencing in January 2023, with an option for extending the contract by up to a further two years, in one year increments.