Dyer & Butler, a multi-disciplined engineering services specialist focused on essential infrastructure including airports, railways and highways, and a part of M Group Services, has successfully completed refurbishment works on the arches supporting the railway approaching Blackfriars Bridge in London on behalf of Network Rail.  

Dyer & Butler delivered infrastructure improvement works on the arches approaching the century old bridge which crosses the River Thames. The works will enable a larger scheme to refurbish the railway for commercial use. The team completed works on two of the superstructure’s five longitudinal riveted arches that support a grid of spandrel posts.

The programme of works required Dyer & Butler’s team of specialist structural engineers to complete work on the bridge’s fourth arch near the north abutment, including removing the timber lintels within the portals and replacing them with steel – a more resilient alternative capable of strengthening the ageing support structure to meet modern building standards.

The project team also refurbished the original 19^th century cast iron components of the end arch by the bridge’s south abutment, including cleaning and paint works to refresh the overall exterior and prevent future deterioration.

Dyer & Butler Operations Manager, Jeff Taylor, who heads up the company’s southern rail region, commented: “We were delighted to have been awarded this project by Network Rail. To ensure the successful delivery of this scheme, we created an agile workforce to work collaboratively with multiple contractors to prepare the arch bases ready for commercial use. This masonry support structure forms a historic part of London’s railway, so it really was a privilege to refurbish some of its original features, and revitalise others with 21^st century alternatives.”  Dyer & Butler’s in-house Metallic Structures refurbishment team has worked on UK structures since its inception in 2002, restoring and refurbishing the structures that form part of the nation’s heritage and extending their operational performance. The team’s processes and techniques, and the knowledge and experience of the team’s skilled, ICATS registered workforce, enables the development of appropriate interventions using modern materials to repair and refurbish most types of bridges across the UK network.