How disruptive will Pedway/Steps work be at Wembley Stadium?

A reader has asked about the demolition and construction phase of the replacement of the Wembley Stadium pedway with steps. They were concerned about safety and impact on local roads. Please see an extract below from the Site Management Plan published on the Brent Council Planning Portal HERE 

The works are planned to take approximately 87 days and some phases will require work from 7am until 11pm. The work will not take place on Event Days.


EXTRACT

Upon taking possession of the site, it will be secured around the areas of immediate construction work. The initial work activity will focus on clearing the site below and around the Pedway of those utilities and other items that will obstruct the pedway demolition and subsequent staircase construction. As areas become clear works to the foundations of the steps and substructure will commence. 

The foundations to the steps will be constructed in and around the existing pedway str ucture in advance of its demolition. Therefore, there will be a need to utilise small / specialist plant, such as restricted access piling rigs that will be able to access the low headroom areas beneath the existing Pedway to construct the piles. 

In conjunction with the construction of the new staircase substructure , earthworks will be undertaken to create crane mats to the south and west of the proposed staircase. These will be required to accommodate the craneage that will service the construction of the staircase superstructure. It is anticipated that these crane s will be greater than 100T in capacity/size. 

Any superstructure elements of the new staircase that fall outside of the existing Pedway may also be built in this phase , however, this will require further consideration in due course as such elements will need to be protected during the demolition of the existing Pedway structure .

Phase 2 – Pedway Demolition and Construction of Steps

Demolition 

This phase will commence within an agreed window of time to minimise the impact to Wembley National Stadium. This will be through a window on non - events ( or , if this is not feasible, where there are minimal events ). Due to the constraints in agreeing such a suitable timeframe, extended working hours to ensure that the works are completed within the agreed timeframe will be required (as agreed with the Local Authority) . 

The Pedway will be demolished in two stages. It is anticipated that the Pedway will be demolished using traditional excavator mounted munchers and breakers. The majority of the Pedway will be removed using excavator mounted munchers will minimise the noise and dust that will be create by this operation. Water spray dust suppression will be utilised to prevent dust from the demolition operation. 

The first stage of demolition will focus on removing the Pedway structure from the area of the new staircase construction. Once this is removed , the demolition will focus on removing the remainder of the Pedway (as it runs across Engineers Way towards Olympic Way and Wembley Park station north of the Stadium). A road closure of Engineers Way will be required whilst the Pedway is removed across the carriageway area (details as to the number and timeframes required for the road closures are not yet available but will be agreed , at the appropriate time, with the Local Authority ) .

Construction of Steps

The construction of the staircase is anticipated to be a combination of pre - cast and cast in - situ concrete. It is anticipated that the podium section that will connect to the S tadium will be cast in - situ and the staircase will be formed from precast struc tural elements. The staircase is of a modular construction and will follow a step by step process that will be prescribed by the designer and supplier. Through this phase of heavy lifting it may be necessary to have lane closure on Engineers Way to facilitate easy delivery and unloading of the precast elements. Pedestrian management will be a key feature of this phase to maintain safety exclusion zones around the works. 

The podium area will be formed using a birdcage scaffold system that will be designed and installed by specialist contractors. This will be used to support the permanent formwork panels that will form the soffit of the deck. 

Temporary works will be required to support the precast elements before they are permanently stitched into the main structure. This support will be provided by either a birdcage scaffold system, steel trestles or similar . This detail will be established early in the project . 

Two cranes in excess of 100T capacity will service the construction of the staircase to allow for lifting and installation of the concrete units and temporary works systems. 

Once the structure is completed, it will be waterproofed using a proprietary waterproofing system to allow the paving to commence and the handrailing and lighting to be installed. 

The attendant craneage will be utilised to service the paving and street furniture installation. The paving will be finished in sections and will work up the staircase. The paving at the podium level will be progressed concurrently with the stair case paving. This will be essential to ensure the programme is met within the time constraints for delivery .