The latest episode of the Engineers Collective is out now: listen in on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, your usual platform or the player below.

This month’s guest is VolkerLaser senior project manager Lee Jackson, who joins to discuss the fascinating challenge of restoring Whorlton Bridge – a nearly 200-year-old Grade II listed structure that carries vehicles over the River Tees in Cumbria.

Lee discusses the history of the bridge and how it has been out of action since 2019. He then gives detail about how VolkerLaser disassembled the bridge into thousands of composite parts – all under the watchful gaze of Historic England.

The chat moves onto what the contractor discovered about the elements’ structural health when it undertook non-destructive testing and what this has meant for the re-erection plans. We finish with a look ahead to when the bridge will be fully restored and reopened.

Prior to the interview portion, host Rob Hakimian is joined by NCE senior reporter Thomas Johnson and new news editor Lee Kenny to discuss news about roads and the British standard for lifecycle costing.