Anti-Slip Bridge Decking
Re-Life GripMaxx anti-slip bridge decking — 94 PTV wet, independently pendulum tested.
A footbridge is the one place on a route where a slip has nowhere to go. Users are elevated, often over water, usually on a structure only a metre or two wide, and frequently moving at pace — cyclists crossing a greenway link, walkers hurrying over a bridge in the rain. Deck surfaces stay wet longer than the approaches on either side, and the parapets that make a bridge safe also keep it shaded and slow to dry.
Re-Life GripMaxx is a recycled plastic deck board with a bonded anti-slip aggregate insert cast into a channel in the top face. It can be specified on Bison bridge kits where grip has to be reliable in every condition the structure will see.
Independently Tested Slip Resistance
GripMaxx has been pendulum tested by FloorSlip Ltd to BS EN 16165 Annex C — the current UK method, which superseded BS 7976 in 2022 — following UKSRG guidelines, using the 96 slider on a horizontal surface.
| Condition | Pendulum Test Value (PTV) |
|---|---|
| Wet | 94 |
| Dry | 112 |
| HSE target for low slip potential | 36 |
The HSE classifies GripMaxx in the lowest slip potential band, with a slip probability better than 1 in 1,000,000.
The size of that margin matters more than it might appear, because the HSE scale is exponential rather than linear. A surface at 35 PTV carries a slip probability of 1 in 100,000; at 36 PTV it is 1 in 1,000,000. One point represents an order of magnitude. A wet result of 94 PTV is not a marginal pass.
Load Capacity Is Unaffected
Cutting a channel into the top face of a deck board raises a fair question: does it weaken the board?
Independent flexural testing by Stanger Materials Testing & Consultancy, commissioned through Perry Testing Ltd, compared five boards with the anti-slip insert against five plain boards under three-point bend testing.
| Plain board | With anti-slip insert | |
|---|---|---|
| Mean flexural strength | 25.16 N/mm² | 24.07 N/mm² |
| Deflection at 3000N | 8.6 mm | 7.46 mm |
Mean flexural strength fell by 4%. But under an identical 3000N load the inserted boards deflected less — the modified board is stiffer in service, not weaker, and sustains the same 5.0 kN/m² uniform load as the standard board.
For specifiers, that means a certified anti-slip surface with no structural trade-off and no separate load calculation.
Bridge and Board Specification
- Bridge spans: 1.0m increments, 3.0m to 16.0m
- Deck width with GripMaxx: 1200mm (other widths on longer lead times — please ask)
- Deck board width: 150mm
- Board thickness: 38mm
- Anti-slip insert: 72mm wide, 3mm deep, cast into the top face
- Uniform load: 5.0 kN/m²
- Wet slip resistance: 94 PTV (BS EN 16165 Annex C, laboratory sample)
- Boards manufactured from 100% recycled plastic with a bonded aggregate surface
Where GripMaxx Bridge Decking Is Used
The surface is specified where a wet deck carries real consequence:
- Pedestrian footbridges — public rights of way, park crossings and estate routes
- Cycle bridges and greenway links — where users cross at speed and braking distance matters
- Canal and river crossings — persistent damp, morning mist, slow to dry
- Shared-use access routes — mixed pedestrian and cycle traffic in all weathers
- School and campus crossings — continuous peak-time footfall
- Ramped bridge approaches — where the HSE slip target rises 1.75 PTV for every degree of slope
Why It Suits Public Infrastructure
The anti-slip surface is integral to the board, not a coating applied over it. There is nothing to wear through, reapply or reinstate — which matters on a bridge, where any resurfacing work means closing the crossing and often bringing in access equipment.
- Integral anti-slip surface — no coatings to reapply
- No painting, staining or chemical treatment
- Will not rot, warp or splinter
- Manufactured from recycled plastic and recyclable at end of life
- Supplied as part of a Bison bridge kit, quick to install
- Suitable for continuous high-footfall public infrastructure
Specification and Supply
Built by Bison supplies GripMaxx anti-slip bridge decking across the UK as part of our bridge kit range, with technical support and specification guidance for projects of any size. Drawings, pendulum and flexural test certificates are available on request.
GripMaxx decking can be specified on our Re-Life recycled plastic bridge kits, steel parapet bridge kits and bridleway bridges. For wetland routes, elevated walkways and viewing platforms, see our GripMaxx anti-slip boardwalk decking. Full background on the testing is set out in our GripMaxx technical overview.
Product Details
Bison bridge spans are available in 1.0m increments, from 3.0m to 16.0m
Bridges with Re-Life GripMaxx decking are 1200mm wide; other widths may be available on longer lead times – please ask
Components
Re-Life GripMaxx decking boards are manufactured from 100% recycled plastic with an additional aggregate surface
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