What is a Feasibility Study?
Not to be confused with Consultancy – a Feasibility Study is essentially the process of determining if something is physically possible. In considering a method/route, once the gross vehicle characteristics have been determined, two avenues are first explored.
Important questions to answer in a Feasibility Study
Firstly, have we (or, for that matter, anyone else) done anything similar in the past ? Over the years, STG have built up a vast treasure trove of data to draw on. Secondly, do the authorities have reliable and precise statistics to work from – not necessarily the case.
From that moment on, it becomes a question of carrying out a physical inspection – not necessarily the complete route, purely areas that have been identified as potential problems. Predominately this is associated with bridge heights, with restricted access coming a close second.
Perhaps the most interesting exercise was some years ago when STG were approached by a Belgian manufacturer, to move oversize pieces to Poland. When we advised that, in our opinion, this was impossible, the customer admitted that he had already approached eleven other organisations. Never to be beaten, STG suggested putting in hand route surveys, in an attempt to avoid all fixed obstructions. Surveying from Gdańsk to near Rzeszow took almost a month – eventually a route was determined, albeit taking short cuts across fields, to avoid the numerous low bridges!
Two months later, the project was successfully completed.
