Blackfriars Underpass Refurbishment
RHINOCEROS completed a £100,000 contract to refurbish the busy Blackfriars Underpass. The underpass was opened in 1967 by then Transport Minister Barbara Castle and extended road access along the North Embankment from Westminster to the City. The underpass has round-the-clock heavy traffic and a thorough refurbishment was due.
Grimy concrete and brickwork showed up well after pressure-washing and liberal application of elbow-grease. The project also required replacement of 150 large faience tiles and 6 granite coping stones to match the existing structure. 127 metres of expansion joint sealant had to be replaced, and the 228 sq metres of retaining walls re-rendered and painted in light blue anti-graffiti coating. Stainless steel cappings to the faience tiles were added and approx 15 metres of coping stones relaid to complete the job.
First sections of the project were completed as part of London's 2012 Olympics preparations, and since time windows were so tight the same area was simultaneously being worked on by 2 different road maintenance contractors.
