Wieland Bridges the Gap

Wieland Electric have worked with SES Ltd, the main electrical contractors on the £1.4 billion new Queensferry Crossing spanning the Firth of Forth in Scotland for the design and supply of a cabling solution for the lighting system across the new bridge. The project forms the centrepiece of a major upgrade to the cross-Forth transport corridor in the East of Scotland and aims to be completed by late 2017.

The project, commissioned by Transport Scotland will replace the old Forth Road Bridge with the 1.7 mile structure being the longest three-tower, cable-stayed bridge in the world and also by far the largest to feature cables which cross mid-span.

Working closely with the installers, Wieland designed and created a system to channel power and control cabling for deck and service access area lighting as well as the decorative lighting across the new construction. Using products from its RST range, Wieland provided its RST Classic for power to the new Thorn Lighting luminaires installed over the bridge and RST Mini for the DMX control of nearly 3,000 fittings over the crossing. Having worked with many projects using DMX technology, Wieland were able to design the system so that the power and DMX supplies could not be cross matched. The combination of 120 prebuilt road deck sections and fully-formed modules will be developed at a specially created off-site manufacturing hub, and Wieland’s structured wiring solution has significantly reduced logistical constraints and costs, whilst reducing the project’s on-site health and safety risks.

When completed the bridge will stand 207 metres above high tide (683ft), equivalent to approximately 22 London buses stacked end-to-end. The overall Forth Replacement Crossing scheme is 13.7 miles long and includes major motorway upgrades to the north and south of the bridge. The existing Forth Road Bridge will become dedicated for public transport use, cycling and walking when the Queensferry Crossing is officially open.