The 7-day installation was undertaken by Mitcham based specialist contractor Concrete Repairs Limited (CRL). It followed an assessment of the damage and the issue of a structural report commissioned by APS Project Management with recommendations on concrete soffit repairs and strengthening undertaken by PSL Structural Projects. Main Contractor for the project was Amos Danby & Sons Ltd.

Following conventional concrete repair work, to re-establish the profile of the beams, CRL installed a single 50mm wide by 3mm thick carbon fibre reinforcing plate to the soffit of each beam to improve shear resistance and increase flexural strength. The high tensile capacity and lightweight nature of carbon fibre reinforced plating, together with its ease of application, makes this strengthening method of extremely cost-effective when compared with conventional techniques. Carbon fibre plates are very strong in tension and once bonded with epoxy resin, provide the necessary strength to maintain the structure's integrity.

This was followed by the application of wet lay Sika Wrap carbon fibre sheeting system around each beam to support and improve the shear resistance. The Sika Wrap system conveniently allows the sheeting to be moulded in situ to any given contour.

The contract was one of the first to employ the Sika Wrap system, which represents a significant step forward in composite strengthening technology.

Other recent installations of carbon fibre reinforcement, carried out by CRL, have been the £220k Bow Road Bridge project in east London and the Bid Bridge contract in Kent. CRL is a leader in carbon fibre strengthening technology and was involved in early research work carried out in the mid 1990s by Sheffield University.