Bell Lane Creek Rail Bridge, London, UK

Project Overview

Network Rail saved £50,000+ in scaffolding costs at Bell Creek Bridge by using a permanent lower level working platform made from d² Dura Grating. It was affixed directly to the bridge girder, proving successful for inspections and repairs, and eliminating the need for additional scaffolding. A track-level walkway was also installed above the cavity.

Saved Network Rail over £50k on the cost of scaffolding.

In this project at Bell Creek Bridge, the client Network Rail saved more than £50,000 on the cost of scaffolding as well as significant project time by deploying a permanent lower level working platform affixed directly to the structure made from 55mm d² Dura Grating that removed the risks associated with working at height.

Uniquely available from Dura Composites and supplied direct to Network Rail, the cleverly engineered Glass Reinforced Polymer (GRP) Dura Grating features an anti-slip surface tested to 1 million footfalls and a patented design which allows for better visibility of the substructure below than any other GRP grating on the market.

Removed the risks associated with working at height.

At Bell Lane Creek Bridge, Network Rail needed to construct a working platform that would allow them to inspect the interface between the longitudinal bearer systems, supporting structures and the track system, and if necessary carry out repairs and renewals. Ordinarily, this would necessitate the construction of scaffolding under the bridge structure to protect workers from the 40 metre drop to the river below. However, thanks to the unrivalled strength to weight ratio of d² Dura Grating, Network Rail engineers were able to affix a layer of Dura Grating onto the bottom flange of the bridge girder, which served as a working platform to enable the inspections and repairs and was a fraction of the cost of scaffold.

The solution was so successful that the lower level grating platform has been left in place to facilitate future asset inspections – again without the need to erect time consuming and costly scaffolding, and eliminating additional working at height requirements.

As well as the lower level working platform, a d² Dura Grating track-level walkway was also installed above the cavity, providing Network Rail with a safe, non-slip walkway across the structure.

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