More than 350,000 trees have been planted by HS2 as part of efforts to create a Green Corridor of trees and wildlife along the route of the new railway. As well as improving connectivity, boosting the economy and unlocking new jobs and opportunities, HS2 will also work for the environment
Transport Minister Andrew Jones MP, visited Birmingham today to see how works are progressing at the region’s main HS2 sites. As one of the most intensive construction sections along the 140 mile London to Birmingham section of the route, the West Midlands is set to benefit from two brand new
The £373m project to upgrade the M1 in Northamptonshire to a smart motorway continues to make progress, with local contractor Mick George Ltd now appointed to complete verge enabling works in a £31m contract. Under the programme, the 23-mile section of M1 between junctions 13 and 16 will be upgraded
GRAHAM has completed the first phase of a multi-million-pound upgrade to the Port of Southampton’s Ocean Cruise Terminal. Regarded as Europe’s leading cruise turnaround port, the reopening of its largest terminal marks the commencement of the busy cruise season. Beginning in October 2018, the GRAHAM phase one programme of works
Highways England has awarded contractor GRAHAM a major new package of works covering maintenance and improvements in the East of England as part of its Collaborative Delivery Framework (CDF). The Highways England OD East Packages P&Q, valued at almost £25 million, comprise 84 maintenance and improvement work programmes including multiple
Manchester Airport has celebrated the completion of the first major phase of its £1bn transformation programme. Passengers flying out of the UK’s third largest airport were welcomed onto a new pier, which connects to Terminal 2, for the first time last week. Construction of the 216m long structure commenced on
Good news have been announced ahead of the Easter break as the vast majority of roadworks on England’s motorways and major A roads are set to be removed. Highways England is working to remove 459 miles of roadworks to allow for easier travel during the holidays. “We’re doing everything we
Seymour Civil Engineering is nearing completion on its award-winning role at the North East’s first ‘super roundabout’. Work on the £75m Highways England Silverlink triple decker roundabout is scheduled to finish in just weeks with Hartlepool-based Seymour Civil Engineering contracted by John Sisk & Son to install £8m highway and kerb drainage. Seymour has been
The construction of Congleton Link Road started today at an event attended by Cheshire East Council’s leader councillor Rachel Bailey, transport minister Jesse Norman MP, and Congleton MP Fiona Bruce. The £90m project is seen as a major economic driver for the town, with the potential to create 3,000 jobs,
Ahead of High Speed Two (HS2) Limited beginning construction of a train maintenance depot in Washwood Heath, demolition of a former railway works in Birmingham is now well underway. The demolition covers a site larger than 110,000 square-metres and is being carried out by HS2 Ltd alongside their early works
More than 350,000 trees have been planted by HS2 as part of efforts to create a Green Corridor of trees and wildlife along the route of the new railway. As well as improving connectivity, boosting the economy and unlocking new jobs and opportunities, HS2 will also work for the environment and local communities. The Green Corridor consists of new wildlife habitats, native woodlands and community spaces to help integrate the new railway into its surrounding landscape and environment. Eventually, HS2 will plant seven million new trees and shrubs on Phase One of the railway. More than 40 different species of tree are being grown at a specialist nursery in Lincolnshire, including species that are native to each area that HS2 passes through. In total, 48 habitat mitigation sites have been created along Phase One of the railway, which include trees, grassland, ponds, wildlife refuges, reptile basking banks, and structures for bat and barn owl homes. One of the sites is Decoypond Wood, part of the Bernwood Forest area of Buckinghamshire, where mitigation work has already started. HS2’s enabling works contractor Fusion and their suppliers Forkers are currently completing the planting of over 1,000 trees at the site. This has been designed to create a new flight path for a rare species of bat known as the Bechstein’s Bat which is native to this area. Further north on the route, on the banks of the River Tame in the north of Coleshill in Warwickshire, HS2’s landscape architects WSP and early works contractor LM JV have recently finished a new wildlife habitat which contains a mix of grassland and wetland areas, providing a home in which the endangered water vole can thrive. In addition to the mitigation works, HS2 has a number of different funds, projects and partnerships designed specifically to support the environment and communities. Community and Environment Funds and Business and Local Economy Funds have seen £2.5m awarded across 47 projects in 14 constituencies. Among the successful bids was Forest Enterprise England who secured £450,000 CEF funding towards the creation of a visitors hub at Wendover Woods which it is hoped will attract 420,000 visitors and £4.3m into the rural economy each year. Work is also taking place in the Colne Valley and Chilterns Area of Natural Beauty where a £3m fund has been set up in each area by HS2 to deliver individual environmental projects. In the Colne Valley, 12 projects have already been funded worth over £800,000. Additionally, £1 million has been allocated through the HS2 Woodland Fund, which will see 18 projects deliver 85ha of new woodland and 50ha of ancient woodland restoration. Peter Miller, HS2 Environment Director, said: “Our ecological work is really important in reducing our environmental footprint and minimising the expected impact of our construction work. “Green Corridor and the various funds we are making available along Phase One of the route have seen our work on the ground accelerate over the last 12 months as we prepare for the main works. “This will continue and people can expect to see new sites developed in the years to come and the gradual emergence of the new Green Corridor along the route.” Watch the HS2 Green Corridor film here
Transport Minister Andrew Jones MP, visited Birmingham today to see how works are progressing at the region’s main HS2 sites. As one of the most intensive construction sections along the 140 mile London to Birmingham section of the route, the West Midlands is set to benefit from two brand new stations and an infrastructure maintenance depot, creating jobs and opportunities for local people now and into the future. Work at the city-centre based Curzon Street site has transformed the area in preparation for Birmingham’s brand new HS2 station: The site spans 25,000 square metres, and 20,000 tonnes of concrete have been broken up, crushed and ready be re-used on site. Two building are being demolished at the site of the former Unite student accommodation which covers an area of 3,000 square metres. This will yield around 30,000 tonnes of material, with works being undertaken by the Birmingham-based demolitions firm, DSM. The extensive archaeology programme on site is already revealing facts about the development of Birmingham, and archaeology works will continue into the summer. Signs that Birmingham is getting HS2-ready continue 2.5 miles away in Washwood Heath, as another local Midlands firm Total Reclaims Demolition makes way for HS2’s new train maintenance depot: The immense old site of the Alstom Rail Depot is 110,282 square metres – the size of 15 football pitches – and will yield 412,000 tonnes of material that will be recycled. With 50,000 hours of labour required to clear the site, the team is now 75% of the way through the work programme. Situated in the heart of one of Birmingham’s most deprived wards and constituencies, the site has been neglected for almost 15 years. The new depot will play a pivotal role in regenerating the area, and once complete over 500 jobs will provide opportunities for local people. Through HS2 Ltd’s supply chain, twelve local residents have already been supported into jobs through early works contractor LM-JV and security firm Servest. They are playing a crucial role in ensuring that safety standards are maintained at HS2’s work sites right across the West Midlands. Birmingham based LM, a joint venture of Laing O’Rourke and J Murphy & Sons Ltd, has been working on behalf of HS2, paving the way for the new high speed line. Work over an 80 km trace across the West Midlands has included route clearance and ecological habitat creation as well as demolition works. Fifteen miles further afield, in the borough of Solihull, vegetation clearance works and trenching have now been carried out at the triangular-shaped site which will be home to the brand new Interchange station site. Transport Minister Andrew Jones MP said: “HS2 is an incredible project that will transform our railway network, boosting capacity on our busiest lines, better connecting Birmingham with large cities across the country and building the Midlands Engine. “The scale of works happening in Birmingham show the huge progress being made on HS2; they also show first-hand the fantastic jobs and opportunities HS2 is providing people across the country; I cannot wait to see the results of further construction, and for this vital railway to become a reality.” Mark Thurston, HS2 Ltd’s CEO said: “Curzon Street will be the cornerstone of the new railway, putting Birmingham at the heart of the network. The transformation around this area demonstrates exactly how Britain’s new high-speed railway will drive forward regeneration and economic growth across the West Midlands. “Across Phase One, we’ve now carried out environmental and ecological mitigation works, utility diversions, archaeology, demolition and land clearance works, all of which are drawing to a close ready for major construction works starting later this year.” Paul Faulkner, CEO of Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce said: “HS2 is already playing a huge part of the Midlands’ success story, and when completed will add £14 billion to the West Midlands economy, supporting 100,000 jobs. Hundreds of Midlands businesses are already supporting the project, and there are more opportunities for firms across the region as the programme progresses.” Photo caption: L-R Liam Evans (LMJV) Christina Wallace (HS2), Argiro Alexandri (HS2), Andrew Jones MP, Paul Faulkner (Greater Birmingham Chamber of Commerce), Richard Kirkham (LMJV),
The £373m project to upgrade the M1 in Northamptonshire to a smart motorway continues to make progress, with local contractor Mick George Ltd now appointed to complete verge enabling works in a £31m contract. Under the programme, the 23-mile section of M1 between junctions 13 and 16 will be upgraded to an all-lane running smart motorway, providing a continuous smart motorway from the M25 all the way through to junction 19 at Catthorpe. The scheme, operated by Costain / Galliford Try joint venture on behalf of Highways England is thought to be vital in easing congestion on this stretch of motorway, which passes through Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire, connecting Bedford, Milton Keynes and Northampton. Consequently, this key arterial route in England will offer increased capacity and more reliable journey times for the hundreds-of-thousands of people that use the M1 every day. Forecast to be complete in March 2022, the initiative is thought to offer approximate benefits valued at £959m to the local economy, though boosting productivity and supporting future housing developments. The programme of works between junction 13 and junction 16 includes; the installation of a rigid concrete barrier to avert vehicle cross-overs from opposite sides of the carriageway, upgrading to four lanes running with no hard shoulder, as well as the fitting of 38 new emergency areas and emergency roadside telephones. Additional improvements include hardening of the central reserve and the formation of wide gantries to support variable speed limit and travel information. Michael George, Managing Director at Mick George Ltd commented: ‘’The award of this contract is an exciting one for the business as it represents the first opportunity for us to display our Earthworks services in a live highways environment.’’ George continued: ‘’We’re currently providing some of our other contracting provisions to another significant highways project on the A14 Huntingdon to Cambridge scheme, and the fact that we’ve been selected to contribute towards this project in tandem, is a testament to the qualities we’ve produced elsewhere.’’
GRAHAM has completed the first phase of a multi-million-pound upgrade to the Port of Southampton’s Ocean Cruise Terminal. Regarded as Europe’s leading cruise turnaround port, the reopening of its largest terminal marks the commencement of the busy cruise season. Beginning in October 2018, the GRAHAM phase one programme of works involved infrastructure upgrades on the quayside with 18 new 150 tonne bollards replacing the existing 50 tonne bollards. Key elements of the scheme also included the addition of a new entrance lobby, the alteration of the terminal building to provide improved, and additional, vertical transition, the expansion of the security X-Ray area and the provision of access to the second Seaport Passenger Boarding Bridge (SPBB). The alteration of the store’s building roof, provision of a roof structure over the ‘fourth’ inward cabin baggage portal, the completion of a canopied vehicle set down area and the paving of the HGV marshalling zone, accommodating the realignment of the fencing and gates, plus new drainage, were additional features of the programme. Commenting on the successful project completion Leo Martin, GRAHAM Managing Director – Civil Engineering, said: “The first phase upgrade at the Port of Southampton is an important infrastructure project that will help to support continued growth in the cruise sector. “The technical competency and engineering excellence of our team facilitated a smooth process throughout the project. Indeed, our alternative solution for the construction of the new 150 tonne bollards on reinforced concrete foundations, with the removal of the existing bollards, was specifically chosen for use by ABP (Associated British Ports). “We have consistently demonstrated our capacity to deliver high-quality projects on time and to budget in the face of the unique challenges presented by port and marine environments.” Partnership project The overall Port of Southampton upgrade is a £12m partnership project between ABP and P&O Cruises. It has been commissioned in readiness for May 2020 when the cruise line’s newest flagship, Iona, will arrive in Southampton from the Meyer Werft shipyard in Papenburg. The entire project will be completed in early 2020 with the installation of two new airbridges and a further 2,000 roof-mounted solar panels. Iona, which will homeport in Southampton, is the first of two new ships of the XL class for P&O Cruises, with the next ship on order to be delivered in 2022. She is the first British cruise ship to be powered by LNG (Liquefied Natural Gas). Alastair Welch, Director at the Port of Southampton, said: “Cruise is a growing industry and we continue to make these significant investments which are crucial to ensuring we are in a good position to welcome the larger ships and the increase in passenger numbers.” ABP, the UK’s leading port operator/owner, has previously selected GRAHAM to complete a range of challenging programmes of work including the design and construction of the world’s largest dedicated biomass handling facility, the £120m Immingham Renewable Fuels Terminal, the £114m redevelopment of Alexandra Dock at Green Port Hull, and the £26m transformation of Grimsby River Terminal.
Highways England has awarded contractor GRAHAM a major new package of works covering maintenance and improvements in the East of England as part of its Collaborative Delivery Framework (CDF). The Highways England OD East Packages P&Q, valued at almost £25 million, comprise 84 maintenance and improvement work programmes including multiple surfacing, drainage, signage, bridge projects and concrete road repairs across the Eastern region, including A1, A11, A14, M11, M1, A5, A12, A120 and A47 roads. The packages will be delivered collaboratively with design teams from AECOM and Mott MacDonald/Sweco supporting the works. Throughout the packages, GRAHAM will engage with local stakeholder groups and communities to establish strong and effective relationships and maintain clear lines of communication with road users during works. Rob Cook, Regional Director for GRAHAM, said: “We have worked with Highways England on its Collaborative Delivery Framework since 2017, and have delivered many successful improvements to Britain’s roads during this period. We’re delighted to have been awarded this latest package, which we will continue to deliver with the open and honest values that make GRAHAM such a respected partner in the highways industry. “The mobilisation of the P&Q packages represents the next steps in our ongoing relationship with Highways England and as part of their customer focus strategy we will be supporting and engaging with the local community throughout the programme of works, with several initiatives currently planned for rollout.” As an integral part of Highways England’s supply chain, one of GRAHAM’s strategic priorities, which is already bearing fruit and delivering lasting impact, is to continue developing this strong collaborative relationship. In 2017 GRAHAM delivered two major work packages on the CDF covering the A47, A11, A1 and A12 roads. The £19m contract consisted of multiple key safety improvements, surfacing, structures and technology schemes extending from Peterborough to Norwich, through to Lowestoft via Great Yarmouth.
Manchester Airport has celebrated the completion of the first major phase of its £1bn transformation programme. Passengers flying out of the UK’s third largest airport were welcomed onto a new pier, which connects to Terminal 2, for the first time last week. Construction of the 216m long structure commenced on site in July 2017 with the build completed in late January 2019. The facility was then trialled before transitioning into operation on 1 April. The Pier which provides 11 jetty served “contact” stands has more than 1400 seats in a fully glazed upper departures level offering panoramic views of the airfield. A separate, segregated arrivals level provides passengers with a travellator-assisted walking route to the main terminal arrivals facilities. It will be used by all airlines currently operating out of T2 and was constructed from 14,000 steel pieces, 47,184 bolts and painted with 2,600 litres of paint. In preparation for the pier, the apron was extended by 49,000sqm to accommodate new aircraft parking stands, along with the construction of a new taxiway and associated infrastructure and services. The opening marks the next phase of the airport’s multi-phased transformation programme that will see Terminal 2 become the focal point of its operations. More than 1,800 people are currently working on the project which recently welcomed its 100th apprentice as work gathers pace. Over the coming weeks more and more flights will gradually move over to the new pier as it becomes fully operational. The main design and build contractor for the pier was Laing O’Rourke with Arcadis engaged to support MAG as Project and Programme Managers. Pascall and Watson were the Architects behind the pier’s design. The main airfield works design and build contractor is Galliford Try with Jacobs providing the airport with client Project and Programme Management support. The 11 airbridges that have been fitted to the pier are provided by Adelte. Andrew Cowan, CEO of Manchester Airport, said: “This is a significant milestone for Manchester Airport as we deliver the first phase of the biggest investment we have made in our 80 year history. “Over the coming years we will transform the airport for all of our customers, giving the North the world class airport it deserves. The investment we are making and the range of destinations we connect to, in all corners of the world, underlines the vital role Manchester Airport plays in creating jobs and driving growth across the North of England. “Since putting the first spade in the ground in July 2017, a huge amount of work has gone into getting our new pier, its stands and the multi-storey car park ready to open today and I would like to thank all of our colleagues and delivery partners for their efforts.” Peter Jones, Operations Leader for Laing O’Rourke, said: “It is a significant achievement to have the pier, link bridge and multi-storey car park ready for airport guests within 18 months. The project’s design, construction methods and logistics were all planned digitally before construction on the edge of the live airfield began. Our digital engineering approach meant we, and our project partners were able to work together efficiently; putting productive solutions in place to minimise disruption to passengers and staff, while delivering new facilities for Manchester Airport on time. “We are now looking ahead to the completion of the Terminal 2 extension which is due to be handed over to the Manchester Airports Group next year.” Colin Abbott, Aviation Director Galliford Try, said: “We are incredibly proud to have played such a key role in the first phase of this exciting transformation project. We’re delighted to see aircraft using the new apron and stands, which is testament to the hard work and dedication from our team of experienced colleagues. Commencing this project 24 months ago, our team has worked over 400,000 hours, constructing and resurfacing around 65,000 sqm of apron and installing 28,000m of AGL lights and power amongst other services. “By working successfully in collaboration with other contractors; we have now realised the first phase of the airport’s vision for the future, whilst cementing further our long-standing relationship with MAG. We are very much looking forward to completing the next phase of the project.” Graham Mallett, Programme Director, Jacobs, said: “We are delighted that Jacobs has been involved in the development of the Manchester Airport Transformation Programme from concept design through to the achievement of the first major milestones of opening pier one and the multi-storey car park. “In our role managing the delivery of the Airfield works, our focus, and that of our supply chain partners has been to ensure everyone working on the airfield has gone home safely every day. We believe that this approach has played a key part in the successful delivery of the airfield works. “This has been a massive team effort across the whole of the project whilst working closely with the airport’s operations team to give our airlines and passengers visible improvements in the service delivered. We look forward to supporting Manchester Airport’s future growth plans through the achievement of further milestones.” Julian Carlson, Director at Pascall+Watson, said: “We are delighted Manchester Airport has seen pier one become operational and acknowledge the great team effort in both design and delivery that made the first major phase of the transformation programme such a success” Arcadis’ Program Director, Richard Walker, said: “The opening of the first two major developments, pier one and the 3,800-space multi-storey car park, is a huge achievement against a very ambitious design and 17-month construction programme. It has been a pleasure to see true team collaboration with the Airport and across the supply chain, and exciting to develop efficiencies from the latest digital technologies. “Our focus now centres on the new terminal extension, which is in its fit-out stage and opens next year, and the design of future phases involving reconfiguration of the existing terminal and more piers.” The next phase of the £1bn transformation is the extension to the existing Terminal
Good news have been announced ahead of the Easter break as the vast majority of roadworks on England’s motorways and major A roads are set to be removed. Highways England is working to remove 459 miles of roadworks to allow for easier travel during the holidays. “We’re doing everything we can to make journeys as smooth as possible this Easter and that’s why we’re keeping around 99 per cent of the road network we manage, free from roadworks,” commented customer service director Melanie Clarke. Starting with 6am Thursday 18 April 2019, the motorway and major A-road network will be free of roadworks until 12.01am on Tuesday 23 April 2019. For safety reasons, Highways England is urging drivers to do simple vehicle checks before their Easter journeys to minimise the risk of breakdowns on the road network. These include checking fuel, tyres, engine oil, water and lights. Drivers are also reminded to ensure that they have the correct licence and insurance to tow whatever the weight, make sure you have connected correctly, and always ensure your load is secure and within the limits for your vehicle before setting off. Specific focus has also been put on adhering to motorway signage, especially the red X signals on smart motorways. Lanes are closed for a reason and ignoring red X signs puts people at risk. To ensure everything runs smoothly and to help people who get into difficulty, Highways England traffic officers will be working around the clock. These measures are being implemented to ensure drivers and passengers stay safe on national roads over the holiday break.
Seymour Civil Engineering is nearing completion on its award-winning role at the North East’s first ‘super roundabout’. Work on the £75m Highways England Silverlink triple decker roundabout is scheduled to finish in just weeks with Hartlepool-based Seymour Civil Engineering contracted by John Sisk & Son to install £8m highway and kerb drainage. Seymour has been on site for 102 weeks to date and has been crowned ‘Supply Chain Partner of the Year Civils UK’ at the Sisk Supply Chain Awards for the last two years for its work on the project, with particular mention made about the quality of work and its collaborative approach. Ryan Browell, Contracts Manager at Seymour, said: “It’s definitely been one of the largest projects that I have been involved in throughout my career. “I think the main challenge has been working around traffic management. We worked collaboratively with a host of other contractors such as those looking after the piling, bridges and laying of the roads.” He added: “We are very pleased with the work and we know that it’s going to make a real difference on one of the UK’s primary transport corridors.” Seymour has installed drainage utilising the latest shaft sinking and microtunnelling techniques which has enabled continuous traffic flow on the A19. The four key areas of Seymour’s work involved: Main highway and land drainage Trenchless crossing undertaken by micro tunnelling techniques Sinking three shafts – the deepest being 13.5m deep Installation of combined kerb drainage It has also provided 24-hour on-site support. Health and safety on this project has been of the highest calibre, working to Highways England’s ‘Raising the Bar’ standards given the nature of the location of the works and the risks involved. The scheme in North Tyneside, at the A19 and A1058 Coast Road junction, has been ongoing since summer 2016. Three layers have been created – the Coast Road on top, a junction in the middle and the A19 on the bottom. Once complete, the project will dramatically reduce queuing time for motorists travelling along the A19 at peak times. Highways England has confirmed the scheme is on schedule to finish in March and the work is now entering the final stages. Picture caption: Ongoing work at Silverlink.
The construction of Congleton Link Road started today at an event attended by Cheshire East Council’s leader councillor Rachel Bailey, transport minister Jesse Norman MP, and Congleton MP Fiona Bruce. The £90m project is seen as a major economic driver for the town, with the potential to create 3,000 jobs, 2,400 new homes and 20 hectares of new employment land to attract new businesses, all of which could deliver £13m into the local economy. It’s a big change to the landscape and to mitigate the impact, the council are planting over 10 hectares of woodland and shrubs including 381 new trees, 16km of hedgerows, 33 hectares of new grassland and creating six new ecological ponds. In the opening year, in the rush hour, journeys across Congleton are expected to take about six minutes less than currently and air quality assessments show there will be some significant improvements throughout the town centre including Rood Hill and West Road. The route for the link road will run to the north of the town, south of Eaton. It will link the A534 Sandbach Road, near its junction with Sandy Lane, to the A536 Macclesfield Road, near its junction with Moss Lane and provide a new crossing at the river Dane. It will also create improved road connections to both Congleton Business Park and Radnor Park Trading Estate. The scheme attracts strong local support – with calls for a bypass around the town going back 30 or 40 years. Cheshire East Council is contributing £24m towards the construction project, with the balance coming from central government and developer contributions. Councillor Bailey said: “I am delighted that we are beginning this very important road scheme for our borough today. I’m also thrilled that we were successful with our business case, which has resulted in £45m of the project funding coming from government funds. “This council started developing a proposal for a new road around Congleton to match our growth plans back in 2012 and what we have achieved here is a scheme that doesn’t just enable our development plans; it complements, shapes them and levers in over £20m of private sector transport investment into Cheshire East.” “This is the biggest capital project the council has ever done; and it is a credit to the strategic infrastructure team and all those involved that we have managed to deliver this scheme from just a concept in 2012 to where we are today, about to start work, just a few years later, I know it has been challenging at times. This must be some sort of a record for a highway scheme, some of which can take 20 years to deliver.” Fiona Bruce, MP for Congleton said: “This new link road will not only lead to fewer accidents and cut congestion in Congleton; it will take lorries out of the town centre and improve air quality for residents. “The road will improve connectivity right across east Cheshire by improving links to Manchester airport, the M60 and the M6. It would also improve connectivity to the rail network, particularly the inter-city connection at Crewe. This road is much wanted, much needed and will future proof the development of Congleton for generations to come.” Transport minister Jesse Norman MP said: “Cheshire and Warrington have among the best performing economies in England and this scheme will help maintain that dynamism. The Link Road will not just cut journey times; it will improve air quality for residents. “Our focus on investment in the North isn’t just about our great Northern cities; it’s also about connecting the towns and communities. The new housing and job opportunities will also boost the area’s economy and support our broader commitment to the Northern Powerhouse.” Leo Martin, managing director of civil engineering at GRAHAM said; “We are delighted to be working in collaboration with Cheshire East Council to construct this important project that will bring economic and social regeneration to Congleton. Our experience completing complex highways projects throughout the UK will be instrumental in ensuring completion of the link road is to the very highest standards.” Councillor Don Stockton, Cheshire East Council cabinet member for highways said: This is yet another important step in improving the connectivity of our road network in the borough. We will work with residents to address any worries during this build process but safety has to be paramount and, whilst short-term disruption in the local area is inevitable, the road will benefit Congleton for years to come.” The road is due to open to traffic in late 2020. Latest news from the site can be seen on the council’s website at www.cheshireeast.gov.uk/congletonlinkroad
Ahead of High Speed Two (HS2) Limited beginning construction of a train maintenance depot in Washwood Heath, demolition of a former railway works in Birmingham is now well underway. The demolition covers a site larger than 110,000 square-metres and is being carried out by HS2 Ltd alongside their early works contractor, Birmingham-based LM JV. The site at Washwood Heath was originally home to a depot that measured 782,622 cubic metres of buildings and structures, and these are now in the process of being demolished. This has yielded a total of 412,464 tonnes of demolition materials – the equivalent weight of 68 Birmingham BT Towers – and this will be predominantly reused on site, significantly reducing the need for landfill and lorry movements. Mike Lyons, Programme Director of Phase One in the Midlands said: “As we prepare for the construction of HS2, there is a huge amount of work going on at sites in the Midlands, including land clearance, habitat creation, tree planting, demolitions, archaeology, road improvement works and utility diversions. “We currently have 62 live sites across the whole Phase One route, servicing over 250 work locations. Over 7,000 jobs are supported by HS2, and over 300 companies in the Midlands are already working on the project.” HS2 trains will be maintained at Washwood Heath, and activities at the facility will include cleaning, servicing, and routine repairs of the new high-speed fleet. The depot will employ up to 500 staff working in shifts, either in jobs within the depot, maintenance and support workers, or train drivers who will start and finish their day there. It will be HS2’s only rolling stock maintenance depot for Phases One and 2a of the UK’s new high-speed rail network. Formerly known as the Washwood Heath Railway Works, the site was last used by Alstom. It is the preferred location for HS2’s future depot because it is centrally located in relation to the completed HS2 network, which will extend to Leeds and Manchester.