The Project

Our Neatdek aluminium decking has been specified on this major bridge project as part of the Dukes Meadows Masterplan, a series of proposals to improve sport, transport, and access facilities in 187 acres of land in Barnes, South London. The new £3.6m footbridge has been designed to facilitate a safe and inviting route for pedestrians and cyclists along the Thames Path. Located downstream of Barnes Bridge, it offers views of Dukes Hollow nature reserve, a natural tidal foreshore containing diverse waterside flora and two nationally rare snails.

The London Borough of Hounslow appointed Knights Brown to carry out the design and construction of the project. The bridge was constructed using off-site prefabrication methods and transported down the river, rather than by road, to reduce carbon consumption and minimise the impact on the surrounding area. Utilising our aluminium Neatdek modular flooring, the structure is divided into four ambitiously thin sections spanning 115m creating a half-truss formation.

The Product

The steelwork sections of the bridge span were fabricated by McNealy Brown and finished with the installation of Neatdek decking. Neatdek’s T-Bar profile offers a contact area of 74% on the surface yet drains water efficiently while its swage-locked construction enables high structural efficiency. Combined with a ribbed anti-slip surface, those qualities make the product ideal for urban pedestrian bridges exposed to wet weather and high foot traffic. The system is also designed to maximise safety with a Euroclass A1 rating – the highest achievable score for non-combustibility.

Neatdek has been used on some of the UK’s most iconic and celebrated footbridge projects over the past 20 years. Neaco has an outstanding portfolio which includes the Media City Footbridge in Salford Quays, the Twin Sails Bridge in Poole, the Peace Bridge in Londonderry, the Living Bridge in Limerick, Passerelle Becon-les-Bruyeres in Paris and the Gateshead Millennium Bridge. The Dukes Meadows footbridge is a very impressive addition to the list of specifications and we are very proud to play a part in this superb project.