North Bridge, Leicester

The client had the requirement to grit blast and repaint a three-span road bridge.

The original bridge was made from cast iron arches spanning the river Soar, and in 1923 was widened using a riveted steel beam construction. The bridge now connects the main A50 with the centre of Leicester.

After scaffolding and encapsulation, our work consisted of wet blasting the entire structure to remove the remains of the old lead based paint that had been applied in the late fifties; this process also has the added benefit of removing soluble salts from the surface, particularly where heavy corrosion had occurred.

Following steelwork repairs we then grit blasted the surfaces to the required standard of sa2.5, followed by the specified paint system that consisted of one coat of item 111, (item 115 on the cast iron sections) two coats of item 112, and a final coat of item 168. Finally we applied an anti-carbonation coating to the reinforced concrete throughout the underside of the bridge.

Contract: North Bridge
Location: Leicester
Paint used: 2700 litres
Grit used: 65 tons

Protective coating on steelwork and service pipes		Bridge after grit blasting and painting.
Bridge after grit blasting and painting.		Ornate cast iron bridge panels after grit blasting and painting.
Ornate cast iron bridge panels after grit blasting and painting.