Challenge

The main vehicular traffic bridge over the railway line in Cosham required replacing. Portsmouth City Council wanted the new bridge to be functional and aesthetically pleasing.  

Two challenging factors had to be planned for and overcome during the course of the project.

  • Timing
    Due to the regeneration work being undertaken in the winter months, timing was crucial for the project, and the challenge was to be able to lay as much of the product as possible within the better weather periods. This was extremely challenging given that it was the wettest January on record.
  • Organisation
    With a small window of opportunity with regards to the weather, both contractor and materials needed to be at the work site at short notice. Also because of the scale of the project, the work needed to take place in two phases, with the public having access as soon as the first phase was completed.

Solution

As this is a pedestrian thoroughfare, the Council specified a hard-wearing aggregate. With colours that gave a contrast to the industrial grey of the bridge, the Council opted for the tough-wearing DekorGrip resin bound system with a Natural Wicker blend at a depth of 18mm.

To enable the work to be completed in the allotted time, the DekorGrip team, through close communication and planning, allowed the contractor to store the resin at the nearby DekorGrip warehouse. This ensured that the resin could remain warm and dry whilst preparation work was done, and the close proximity to the site ensured that the product could be shipped as it was needed.

The install also utilised the use of a DekorTrowel, a multi-bladed electronic troweling machine for the surfacing.

Outcome

With the help of the DekorGrip team, the project met its planned completion date, keeping the re-opening of the road and bridge on schedule.

The Council was so impressed with the advice, service and system provided that they specified the use of DekorGrip in a number of other projects.