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Construction
Our Renobuild team improved the surface texture of almost two kilometres of limestone surface water channels along Wexford Town’s Main Street to improve pedestrian safety in wet conditions.
Traffic and pedestrian disruption was minimised by Renobuild working through the night and sealing and re-opening the area for pedestrian use before 6am each day during the project.
The project was such a success, Renobuild were subsequently asked to work on another similar project by Tipperary County Council, which in turn led to our team being brought in to another project with similar issues in Newtown Anner Stud in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.
Renobuild, flooring experts with over 30 years of experience, were approached by Wexford County Council when the limestone surface water channels along Wexford Town’s Main Street presented ongoing issues due to the channel’s poor surface slip resistance.
The surface texture of the limestone channel had become smooth over the years, increasing risks of slippage – particularly at times of wet weather.
Our Renobuild team worked in collaboration with Wexford County Council to increase the grip of the surface to remove the safety hazard to pedestrians, and to minimise disruption to traffic and the town centre when doing so.
This project entailed almost two kilometres of limestone trough that needed to be re-textured to increase the grip and reduce the chance of slippage.
With the large amount of surface that was to be worked on, it was essential that we found a solution that was the most efficient and least cost prohibitive, whilst also accommodating the curved shape of the surface.
The most significant challenge that arose was limiting traffic disruption and pedestrian management during the re-texturing period – a solution needed to be found that navigated this effectively.
We worked closely with Wexford County Council during the decision making process, providing multiple options to improve the texture and increase grip on the surface water channels. This included applying resin-blinded systems and bead-blasting the surface water channel.
The Renobuild team supported the decision-making process by providing numerous on-site test samples and examples of similar case studies in other locations in the UK.
Initially, using an MMA flex coat scattered with a coloured limestone aggregate was tested – which proved to successful. However, the level of preparation required for the full length of the project was going to be too time consuming and cost prohibitive.
As a result, bead-blasting was ultimately chosen. Initially, this method did not work perfectly with the shape of the surface being worked on, but the Renobuild team altered our shot blaster to accommodate the curve in the troughs, manufacturing a new head for their machine to facilitate this shape – which proved to be highly successful.
To overcome the challenge of minimising traffic disruption and pedestrian management, our team worked through the night, with Wexford County Council informing both shopkeepers and residents of the area that the area would be closed off each night.
Every evening of the project, the area was cornered off, blasted, sealed, and re-opened to the public for access before 6am the following morning.
The bead blasting method provided excellent results, while still keeping the natural look of the limestone and maintaining the aesthetics of the area.
Pedestrian safety was greatly improved by increasing the grip and slip resistance of the two kilometres of surface water channels, with minimal disruption caused to traffic and pedestrians during the time of the project.
The Wexford County Council were delighted with our work, stating:
“Renobuild provided an excellent service and were great to deal with. They are very knowledgeable in their line of work and nothing was ever an issue. The work was simply done and the results stand for themselves. Renobuild met the requirements of the brief and provided an excellent service. They were also the most economical in the provision of these services.”
As this project on Main Street for Wexford County Council was so successful, we were also asked to work on another problem area on Kickham Street in Carrick-on-Suir, for Tipperary County Council. This was a similar project involving another area of limestone that did not have the correct slip resistance in wet conditions. To resolve this, our team readjusted our machine to suit the flat surface of the area and provided a textured finish safe for foot traffic in wet conditions.
