Over the next two years, Clifton Suspension Bridge Trust is working with Taziker on a project to protect the bridge's 180-year-old suspension chains for another 20 or 25 years.
Taziker has been commissioned to apply a protective paint system to the ironwork and install new lighting that uses less energy than the current illuminations, which have reached the end of their working life.
The works are being project managed by consulting engineer Cowi. The new illuminations have been designed by Hoare Lea.
To ensure the correct thickness of paint, the chains must be painted by hand as spraying the iron would not ensure the three coats of even coverage that are required. Specially made tools, designed specifically for the chains of the Clifton Suspension Bridge have been made to guarantee that the gaps between the chain links are also properly coated.
During the works, the chains will not be stripped back to bare metal as this would make it impossible to apply the three coats necessary in some locations. Instead, loose sections of paint will be removed, and any resulting surface corrosion rubbed down. The new coats will then be applied on top of this prepared surface. Where this results in more than three coats of paint, this will provide extra protection for the bridge’s historic ironwork.
The last time the bridge underwent similar work was in 2000-01 when the chains were re-painted and in 2005-06 the existing lighting scheme was put in.
Completion of works is expected by the end of 2025.
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