Safespan® : Bridge Maintenance System

Safespan® is a unique, patented, cable suspended, rigid working platform and shielding system used predominantly for bridge maintenance, bridge repair, bridge strengthening and bridge refurbishment. Experienced bridge maintenance contractors, familiar with the demands of bridge painting and refurbishing, designed this simple, yet very effective, under-bridge access system. Developed in the US in 1996 to offer a safer, more economical means of access for bridge maintenance projects, Safespan® has now been used on hundreds of projects throughout the USA and Europe as a work platform for bridge access. This unique safety product offers an alternative to traditional scaffolding. Typical Safespan® applications include bridge maintenance and repair, viaducts and aquaducts, offshore installations, marine under-deck refurbishment, roof access in factories, stations, hangars etc. Safespan® is an amazingly simple concept to grasp. In outline the Safespan® Bridge Maintenance System consists of three principal components: 1. cables (horizontal & vertical) 2. profiled steel sheeting 3. special steel clips Horizontal (or longitudinal) cables, typically attached to the bridge abutments, are linked to vertical hangers attached to the bridge underside creating what could be loosely described as an inverted suspension bridge. The steel sheeting is laid transversely across the horizontal cables and locked into place by the special clips. Safespan® facilitates bridge access especially when tight clearance is essential. The access platforms allow bridge maintenance and repair in ways not possible before.