Having installed the original monitoring back in 2011, Socotec Monitoring was best placed to provide the replacement for the now-defunct system. This would take the form of a brand new wireless system that would continue monitoring the road surface, which previously required stabilising due to landslips that occurred in March 2021.

The new wireless system comprises 4no automated tiltmeters, gateway and a solar panel. Having originally been installed in November 2021, the system will monitor the road surface over a five-year period, which will end in 2026. By installing biaxial tiltmeters on top of the piled retaining wall (above the existing tiltmeters and through the vertical rotation of the retaining wall), Socotec Monitoring UK was able to ensure continued rotational movement monitoring at the site location.

Socotec Monitoring completed the decommissioning of the old monitoring system, followed by the installation of new sensors, in just one day. This was down to the use of wireless monitoring technologies, which meant that there was no need to run and protect cables to each sensor. It also ensured significant cost savings for the client, as well as the reassurance that the system posed less of a security risk due to the fact that it could be accessed remotely.

Lengthy lane closures and traffic disruption were also avoided, as the works were completed within a traffic management set-up that lasted less than five hours. There are a host of benefits associated with the newly installed system - it is maintenance-free, can be accessed remotely and is eco-friendly, being powered by a solar panel and batteries that can last for a minimum of five years.

"While considered a smaller scale project, the success of the installation is a demonstration of the breadth of services that Socotec Monitoring is involved in alongside larger, more high profile works," said Richard Hildick-Smith, general manager, Socotec Monitoring.

"We were delighted to have carried the installation service out for Atkins Global and Gloucestershire Council, providing them with peace of mind from a financial and security perspective that the monitoring would be carried out safely and on a continuous basis."

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