Whilst concrete repairs are primarily associated with 20th and 21st century infrastructure, some of Britain’s greatest pieces of infrastructure are not only made with concrete but can be preserved and protected in similar ways.
One of the most famous examples of this in the last year was the repairs on the historic Glenfinnan Viaduct, a concrete structure so famous that it has appeared on the Scottish £10 note and has appeared in a number of films and tourism videos as a symbol of Scotland.
The Glenfinnan Viaduct is the longest concrete railway bridge in Scotland, a feat made even more remarkable by the fact that it was made using mass concrete, a material that lacks rebar or other reinforcement materials.
To this day, the 1000ft bridge is still part of Scotland’s operational railway, which meant that repairs were not just important from a position of heritage, but they were also vital to preserve public transport infrastructure.
Following six years of planning, repairs began in May 2024, taking a specialist, sympathetic approach that prioritised preserving the historic look of the Category A-listed structure.
Remarkably, despite being over 120 years old, the Viaduct has not needed substantial repairs before this, and due to the sympathetic approach taken to the specialist maintenance, it was repaired with no interruptions or disruption to the service.
This was possible through the use of a rope access system that allowed workers to operate safely underneath the arches without the use of extensive scaffolding systems and the description they can sometimes bring to repairs.
Despite this complexity, because of the lengthy planning schedule and advanced repair systems, the repairs were completed in just 12 months, allowing both local and historic railway services to continue to run as scheduled and preserving the viaduct for the future.
Other parts of the £3.4m project involve upgrading the fencing to stop unauthorised access and planting 200 hectares of trees in the local area.