Keeping an iconic London landmark open as temperatures freeze
As one of the UK capital’s most important river crossings, keeping this famous London bridge open to traffic and pedestrians is vital when temperatures drop below zero.
Here we look at some of the challenges posed by maintaining through traffic across the River Thames during the icy winter months.
Overview
Each week millions of people cross one of London’s 33 bridges. They are an essential component in the city’s highly complex transport infrastructure.
Opened back in 1824, our clients bridge remains one of the oldest and most attractive of its sort in the whole of Europe.
Yet when the temperature drops, this suspension bridge becomes hazardous to cross and there are a number of unique factors that make treating this problem a bit of a challenge.
Corrosion
The first big problem is how the salts typically used to treat ice can corrode the old iron that the bridge was originally made from.
As a Grade II listed bridge this is obviously problematic.
Wildlife
Another difficulty for the bridges operators has been some the harmful pollutants present in traditional salts. These can be quite toxic and as such poisonous to the river’s wildlife.
How does CHELA helped keep this Thames river crossing ice free?
We supply a powerful, yet environmentally friendly anti-icer and de-icer called IceBlast Plus. This is a spray on liquid that can be used in close proximity to water courses and vegetation without causing harm to the natural environment.
An aqueous solution of potassium acetate, it is an efficient anti-ice as well as quickly melting ice and snow.
It is non-corrosive and performs down to temperatures of -25c
Eurowash 1000 Plus
Click here to find out more about IceBlast Plus or to discuss a whole range of other Industrial or Institutional market leading cleaning solutions, please contact our specialist team by calling +44 208 805 2150 or by emailing [email protected]
