Tufcoat overcomes difficult bridge access challenge

The Battersea Rail Bridge, one of central London’s oldest bridges, recently began renovation work to increase its life span by at least 100 years.

Tufcoat were contracted by Rainham Industrial Services to encapsulate the scaffold structure around one of Battersea Rail Bridges’ arch sections while grit blasting took place. A full case study on Tufcoat’s shrink wrapping of the project can be found here

A unique aspect of the project was the method of bridge Access. The install team and any materials required for the project had to be transported by boat over to the area being shrink wrapped. This could only be done during high tides, as the water would be too shallow to sail in during low tides. This meant there was a limited window for work to be carried out per day, so timing was paramount.

Once materials such as the rolls of shrink wrap, heat guns and patch tape had reached the area they then had to be carried by hand up to the bridge. This represented a physical challenge due to the weight and size of the materials being lifted. Life jackets and harnesses were used throughout the project to comply with safety regulations due to working in close proximity to water. This, along with the tight area of the working environment presented further difficulties.

Over the course of 6 days Tufcoat successfully overcame these challenges and provided a quality final service.