Collaboration is key for huge infrastructure projects
The largest infrastructure project in Scotland effectively managed documents with Thinkproject.
Project
Queensferry Crossing is at the centre of Scotland’s Forth Replacement Crossing project (FRC). With a £1.3 billion investment from the Scottish government, the FRC was the largest infrastructure project in Scotland for a generation.
Works included 22 km of motorway upgrades that could accommodate modern traffic technology such as variable speed limits and dedicated bus lanes to improve traffic flow. The Forth Crossing Bridge Constructors (FCBC) consortium were awarded the principal contract in 2011. FCBC is a consortium of Hochtief, American Bridge, Dragados and Morrison Construction.
The Queensferry Crossing bridge was, at the time of opening in 2017, the longest three-tower cable-stayed bridge in the world. One particularly impressive feat during construction was over 16k cm3 of concrete that was poured into the water-filled south tower caisson in a 24-hour non-stop operation.
2.7 km
structure length
22 km
of motorway upgrades
£1.3 billion
cost
2017
project completion
Challenge
The sheer scale of this project came with many complexities and challenges to overcome. As a project of public interest, it was important that delays and additional costs were kept to a minimum. Furthermore, with the bridge being erected in water, cutting-edge technology was needed to keep quality and safety at the forefront.
The FCBC consortium was made up of teams from several countries, meaning it was crucial that a central source of truth could overcome miscommunication and provide standardised regulations relevant to the project.
Solution
Thinkproject was selected during the tender phase, with Document & Communication Management chosen to support the complete digital review and approval processes for drawings and other documents.
Thinkproject’s ability to provide a transparent and well-structured overview of the review processes was of particular interest to the FCBC.
Result
All project teams involved were able to have site-independent access to all drawing documents directly within Thinkproject. It also allowed all parties to work in parallel workflows, bringing together this international consortium effectively for cross-country collaboration.