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A team from Ainscough Crane Hire’s Maidstone Depot has helped to carry out vital emergency works on weather damaged CCTV masts at the Roundhill Tunnels in Kent.
The team was contacted by integrated highway engineering provider A-one+ after particularly strong winds had weakened a number of the CCTV masts by the road side, causing the emergency closure of the tunnel.
The high winds also became a key factor as to when the removal and repairs could be carried out.
The masts are 14 metres high and weigh about four tonnes each. Ainscough’s Rene Bleidorn conducted a site visit on the Friday and organised the crane hire, as well as supervising the hire on the day. The team then used an LTM 1055 crane to replace the CCTV masts on the side of the carriageway.
The Roundhill Tunnels are a pair of tunnels in Folkestone, Kent that form part of the A20, which provides a key route for those heading towards Dover. They were built as part of the general works for the Channel Tunnel, and are bored into a chalk hill.
Rani Notarianni, depot manager from Ainscough’s Maidstone depot, said: “This job had to strike the balance between working effectively to a tight deadline and maintaining the high safety standards we ensure are in place on all of our lifts.
“With the road closed in both directions we had to guarantee the lift went ahead without any delays to help with the re-opening of this major part of the motorway network. From first arriving on site late Friday afternoon to the safe removal of the CCTV mast to get the road back up and running within a 24hr period, we achieved everything we set out to do. This is testament to Ainscough’s skilled operators and their dedication to going above and beyond when it is needed the most.”
