Steel bending creates purpose-built motorway advertising arch

Metal fabrication and bending specialist Barnshaws Section Benders has contributed to the construction of what is said to be the UK’s first purpose-built digital advertising arch.

The Salford Arch was financed by UK outdoor advertising business JCDecaux, and features precision rolled steel tube from Barnshaws Section Benders.

Located on the M602 gateway across six lanes as the motorway meets Regent Road, the double-sided Salford Arch is visible to the tens of thousands of vehicles that travel the highway on a daily basis.

Barnshaws were contracted to roll the required tubing that now spans 37m across the motorway. The high potential risk of the structure demanded that the work had to be carried out within stringent radii tolerances.

Barnshaws’ Commercial Director Greg North said: “The scale of the project demanded a large cold bending capacity, which was a capability Barnshaws was able to provide.

“We can cold bend sections from 6mm to 660mm diameter in a very tight radii due to our focus on research, development and investing in modern machinery on site.”

The Salford Arch is expected to generate £5M for Salford City Council over ten years, with local government hailing the new structure as a ‘landmark’ for the area.