Supporting Dartford River Crossing Ltd over 10 Weeks at Dartford
The Queen Elizabeth II Bridge is a vital part of the UK’s road network, making access and maintenance a unique challenge. CAN developed a bespoke access solution to carry out coating works on the bridge’s mainstay cables, completing the project safely during overnight lane closures.
The Queen Elizabeth II Bridge is on the M25 at Dartford. The cables on the bridge are up to 220m long and over 80m above the bridge deck.
The client required CAN to prepare and reapply Metalcoat to the bridge’s mainstay cables, with all works to be carried out above live traffic with minimal traffic management and no disruption to daytime bridge users.
CAN designed and constructed lightweight cradles, based on its lightweight access platform CAN-Span. These were used in conjunction with rope access methods to provide a stable platform for the coating teams and the client’s independent paint inspectors. The cradles also provided a containment system to prevent the spillage of Metalcoat onto the road deck below. Rope access techniques were used to gain access to the cables, which are 220 metres in length and over 80 metres above the road deck.
The cradles were installed on each stay cable, winched to the top, and lowered down as coating was applied. All works were carried out under single lane closures, at night, to avoid any disruption to traffic
