We are FCC - Nº4

construction Mersey Bridge is a transformation pro- ject that improves communications in the region. What are the construction singularities of this project? The na- tional road network has been affected by the construction of the bridge. How were they modified? Twenty years have passed since the first viability studies were made, deciding that this was necessary due to the futu- re increase of traffic in both banks, from 9,000 to the current 90,000 vehicles/day. This additional traffic put pressure on the congested and antiquated Silver Jubilee Bridge and on the ability for the regional road network to recover. The construction of the bridge and of the approach viaducts, the seven kilometres of roads and the 12 links to the existing road network, the restriction affecting local and regional development were eliminated and the local transport requi- rements were effectively addressed. A new strategic transport route was also provided to connect the city with Liver- pool Airport, the north of Cheshire and the northeast with the rest of the country. The regional economic strategy identi- fies the Mersey Gateway as a transfor- mation project. It will improve access to maximise local development and the re- gional economic growth opportunities by being a catalyst connecting the commu- nities and leading the regeneration and investment towards northeastern United Kingdom. What has FCC Construcción contri- buted to the Mersey Bridge project? Success, key for the design, construc- tion and completion, was the result of ta- king advantage of all the existing syner- gies at the FCC Construcción Group. I, personally, thank all our colleagues and their efforts to meet our objectives. Our different departments, personnel and subsidiaries were involved in all phases of the construction phase. This included the active direct and indirect presence of the engineers from our te- chnical services – bridges, geotechnics, hydraulics, machinery and civil works – in the coordination meetings with the designers providing our experience, en- gineering applied to the sequences of the processes, geotechnical design, mo- delling and geometric control and cons- truction details. Worth mentioning is the work of the post-stressing and special techniques department of FCC Construcción, an essential aspect in the construction of the project, who installed 146 suspen- sion cables in the three pylons (11,350 kilometres of cable). Of course, I must thank our entire team involved in the project: engineers, admi- nistrative staff, technicians and mana- gers, who were able to work with an inter- national consortium despite the complex relationships, and were a step ahead and able to address the technical and cons- truction difficulties of the project. Social and environmental values: what were the social and environ- mental measures developed during the project? I would highlight the improvement in pu- blic transport, in the infrastructure of the new paths that are safer for cyclists and pedestrians across and around the river, as well as the health benefits derived by reducing air pollution. I would also men- tion the communication centres, social network activities and the volunteers program during the construction phase of the project. Our commitment to the environment was also one of the main challenges. The Environment Management Plan imple- mented during the construction phase (CEMP) defined the way the joint ventu- re would plan and build the project taking duly into account environmental issues. To help ensure the protection and impro- vement at each opportunity, the Mersey Gateway Environmental Trust was set up. It is a unique charitable organiza- tion whose goal is to protect and impro- ve the environment of the Upper Mercy Estuary. This team developed strategies that contributed to preserving the most important ecological spaces such as the marshes and the creation of sustainable wildflower patches. As a value-creating Company, what benefits does FCC Construcción contribute to society by building this infrastructure? The project has enormous social, en- vironmental and economic benefits for people and companies in Halton, Liver- pool, and Cheshire County and, in gene- ral, the entire northeaster region. In addition to the social benefits, it is also necessary to mention the benefits for public transport by reducing travel time by at least 10 minutes at peak hours; in- creasing the reliability of travel time and providing an important new strategic transport route connecting the city-re- gion of Liverpool and the northeast with the rest of the country. Also worth mentioning are the future economic benefits, the nearly 450 equi- valent full-time jobs at the site during the construction phase, the 4640 new per- manent jobs as a result of the Mersey Gateway operations, regeneration and internal investment. It will also support sustained growth at Liverpool Harbour and the John Lennon Airport and will im- prove the commercial productivity in the entire Mersey Corridor (known as the “crowding impacts”). I N T E R V I E W Juan Manuel Dochao Merseylink CCIV construction director B U S I N E S S B U S I N E S S 22