A bridge over troubled water
Methods
A bridge over troubled water
Keywords Bridge, Corrosion, Leigh, Paints
An old footbridge well-known to ornithologists and holiday-makers on Holy Island off Anglesey's north-west coast has recently been replaced in a challenging project by Laing Civil Engineering.
The replacement bridge spans a narrow channel flanked by near-vertical cliffs running between Holy Island and South Stack, and is reached by over 400 dizzying steps down to its Anglesey portal set approximately 20m above the sea.
Designed for the Isle of Anglesey County Council, this new bridge is of aluminium construction and entailed the assembly of short bridge sections on a scaffold platform. These sections were then launched and anchored in position by suspension from cables anchored in the cliff face to each side of the channel.
Rebuilt footbridge on the cliff-lined north-west coast of Anglesey
In an exposed position with frequent high winds, sea spray and salt-laden air, high performance coatings from Leigh's Paints were specified to protect the 33m long structure.
A requirement for an extremely hard wearing, low maintenance coating for the upper surface of the deck plate was answered with Leigh's Epidek M153; this heavy duty aggregate dressed epoxy coating is designed for the most extreme operational conditions where impact and abrasion resistance with anti-slip properties are vital.
The coatings contract, by specialists Lambert Western Industries of Abergele, also included the lattice supporting structure and aluminium parapet rails. Giving maximum long-term protection in a location where cyclical maintenance painting is certain to be costly, these parts of the structure were first coated with Epigrip H795 epoxy primer.
The supporting structure was finished with Epigrip L653 epoxy high build undercoat, widely approved for offshore structures, and Leigh's Resistex M437 special finish; a high performance finish offering long-term gloss and colour retention.
The parapet rail primer was overcoated with Epigrip L262 two-pack epoxy high build prior to a finishing coat of Resistex M437, to give a tough, very durable finish.
Further details available from: Smith Goodfellow Limited, UK. Tel: +44 (0) 1625 429522.
