The contract, running from 2008 to 2015, is the second such contract to be awarded to WSP and Skanska, the first covering the maintenance of 674 bridges in the southern Oulu area from 2007 to 2012.
The Oulu Road Administration is pioneering this kind of bridge maintenance contract in Finland. Following positive experience of operation of the first contract, indications are that this form of maintenance operation will be very successful.
The aim of the project is to prevent the bridges from deteriorating over the period of the contract. Work includes bridge inspections, repair designs, annual programming of repair contracting, managing the bridge maintenance system and supervising the road maintenance contractor.
The project is enabling WSP Finland to develop, test and implement new bridge maintenance technologies, such as laser scanning and deck radar analysis. New mobile technology is also being developed with the aim of monitoring the condition of the bridges in real time.
Since 2004, senior staff from WSP UK Highway and Bridge management teams have been engaged in informal dialogue with representatives of the Finnish Road Administration, to exchange ideas and experiences regarding privatised road and bridge maintenance operations in the UK, and to assess suitability for application to the Finnish marketplace.
The attached photo is of a bridge in Pyhäjoki, Finland, built in 1837. Some of the original wooden structure still remains. WSP’s inspection report recommends that the bridge be repaired in the near future.
For further information, contact Simo Kettunen, Business Area Manager, WSP Finland Oy.