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
After secuting a place on the Crown Commercial Services (CCS) Framework for Defence services, Amey is set to bid for the next round of UK Defence contracts. The firm is one of one of six shortlisted FM providers who will compete for the Future Infrastructure Defence Services (FDIS). The lots
Two water-related contracts, which will see upgrades completed on a North Lincolnshire pumping station and West Sussex pipeline, have been won by Galliford Try. The firm will upgrade Keadby pumping station near Scunthorpe for the Environment Agency under a £20.5 million contract. This project will be carried out in a
UK Power Network has invested £600 million to boost London’s electricity network. The company’s major works have enabled the redevelopment of the Greenwich Peninsula, Nine Elms, Kidbrooke and White City, plus flagship projects such as Crossrail, the Thames Tideway tunnel and HS2. This annual investment is part of the company’s
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 £80 million National Grid contract that will help restore views of the Dorset landscape has been offered to Morgan Sindall. The 400kV electricity cable project has been awarded as part of the four year Engineer, Procure and Construct (EPC) framework. This is the first scheme delivered as part of
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,
Construction work is due to be carried out by Huyton Asphalt to upgrade an arterial route in Liverpool. Improvement works along Prescot Road (A57) began on Monday, 18 February, and will run from Low Hill, near the Royal Liverpool Hospital, to Newton Road by Newsham Park. The first phase will
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.
After secuting a place on the Crown Commercial Services (CCS) Framework for Defence services, Amey is set to bid for the next round of UK Defence contracts. The firm is one of one of six shortlisted FM providers who will compete for the Future Infrastructure Defence Services (FDIS). The lots Amey has been shortlisted for are: • Two housing contracts which will include provision of the full range of occupancy management services including allocation and occupation of MOD housing in the UK and Northern Ireland along with housing maintenance services. • The Defence Facilities Management contract which will provide hard facilities management services to ensure a fit-for-purpose MOD Estate and includes barracks, airfields and other defence facilities in the UK and Northern Ireland. “Securing a place on the CCS Framework has provided us with a great opportunity to build on our existing relationships in the Defence sector. Amey is pleased to focus on the defence sector and our efforts to improve the service we provide to the UK’s Armed Forces and their families. We will now draw on our experience to deliver the key elements of the required framework scope and support our business strategy of becoming the MOD’s most trusted partner,” said Amey’s Chief Executive, Andy Milner. The company will now compete in a series of ‘call-off’ contract competitions with each ‘call-off’ contract being seven years in length with options to extend up to a further three years, subject to satisfactory performance and other considerations.
Two water-related contracts, which will see upgrades completed on a North Lincolnshire pumping station and West Sussex pipeline, have been won by Galliford Try. The firm will upgrade Keadby pumping station near Scunthorpe for the Environment Agency under a £20.5 million contract. This project will be carried out in a joint venture with Black & Veatch. The station is located at the end of a complex network of rivers and pumping stations within the lowlying Isle of Axholme which spans around 200 square miles across South Yorkshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. The pumps help transfer flood water from the Three Rivers into the River Trent during high tides. The station is nearly 80 years old and has reached the end of its working life. Work involves replacing the existing diesel driven pumps with six electric pumps, constructing electrical equipment buildings within the existing site and rebuilding the outfall headwall where the Three Rivers discharge to the Trent. Work starts this month and full completion is set for June 2021. The other project, worth £14.5 million, involves the laying of a 10km pipeline in Chichester, West Sussex, for Southern Water. The new waste water transfer main with three new pumping stations will run from the west of the city to the Tangmere treatment works in the east. The new infrastructure is necessary to connect three major housing developments of 3,800 homes in the catchment to the sewer network while complying with Environment Agency consents to limit storm discharges from the existing Chichester treatment works into the harbour. Both contracts will be undertaken by the Environment business unit of Galliford Try’s Infrastructure division.
UK Power Network has invested £600 million to boost London’s electricity network. The company’s major works have enabled the redevelopment of the Greenwich Peninsula, Nine Elms, Kidbrooke and White City, plus flagship projects such as Crossrail, the Thames Tideway tunnel and HS2. This annual investment is part of the company’s commitment to invest £1.6 billion in London from 2015 to 2023. Since the beginning of its investment, UK Power Networks has developed a number of new electricity sub stations. “We work with developers, land owners and local authorities to ensure they have the power they need to progress their plans, which ultimately delivers economic growth for all,” said Director of Connections Mark Adolphus. “In the first six months of 2018 we commissioned five main substations to boost the capacity of the London network – that’s the most investment we’ve seen since the 1960s. That includes three main electricity substations within three kilometres of each other; Black Wall Way and Greenwich are catering for infrastructure developments. The third is Crossrail Limmo which is fully funded by our customer. This new infrastructure is the result of a lot of hard work from employees across our business and it represents a huge growth in our network capacity,” Mark added. The total power capacity being installed in London is around 540 MW- which is equivalent to powering 270,000 new homes. New substations providing extra power capacity and built since 2017 include Greenwich Peninsula, Camden and Whitechapel. Other projects under construction to power further development in areas of London and facilitate more infrastructure projects, include new substations at Nine Elms, White City, Willesden and Silvertown. UK Power Networks adds tens of thousands of new connections to its networks every year, runs 30,000 kilometres of high voltage cables under the streets of London, and is developing a smart grid to support changing energy needs.
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 £80 million National Grid contract that will help restore views of the Dorset landscape has been offered to Morgan Sindall. The 400kV electricity cable project has been awarded as part of the four year Engineer, Procure and Construct (EPC) framework. This is the first scheme delivered as part of National Grid’s Visual Impact Provision (VIP) programme, which aims to reduce the visual impact of existing electricity transmission infrastructure in some of the most precious landscapes throughout England and Wales. “We are delighted to have been awarded the first of National Grid’s VIP projects. This award further strengthens our high voltage underground electricity cabling capability which has grown significantly over the past few years. We look forward to further enhancing our long term relationship with National Grid and delivering this complex and important scheme,” said Simon Smith, Morgan Sindall Infrastructure managing director. A new 8 kilometre 400kV double circuit underground cable system will be designed, built, tested and commissioned as part of the £80 million construction contract, which also includes other associated works in the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB). In addition, the project will involve the removal of the existing overhead line and 22 pylons that form part of the existing landscape in the AONB. Construction work is expected to begin in early 2019. “This contract marks a major step forward in a unique opportunity to restore views from the Hardy Monument across Dorset AONB,” added Michelle Clark, senior manager VIP projects, from National Grid. “The project has been driven by local and national organisations dedicated to conserving the landscape and countryside throughout England and Wales. We welcome Morgan Sindall Infrastructure on board and are looking forward to working with them as our delivery partner to turn the plans into a reality.”
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
Construction work is due to be carried out by Huyton Asphalt to upgrade an arterial route in Liverpool. Improvement works along Prescot Road (A57) began on Monday, 18 February, and will run from Low Hill, near the Royal Liverpool Hospital, to Newton Road by Newsham Park. The first phase will start between Shiel Road and Laurel Road. Running until Autumn, the £3.5 million scheme will include the replacement of the existing road surface, which has deteriorated over the years, and the upgrade of the highway drainage, pedestrian facilities, footways and traffic signals. The work forms part of Liverpool City Council’s £500 million highway investment programme – Better Roads – in conjunction with the council’s commitment “to deliver a strong and growing city” and provide a “connected and accessible city with quality infrastructure”, as set out in the Inclusive Growth Plan. Diversion routes will be in place and road users are advise that delays will be likely and to explore alternative journeys for those travelling to and from the Islington, Fairfield and Kensington and Old Swan areas. The A57 programme has received £2.7 million from the Local Growth Fund (LGF). LGF funding is awarded to the Liverpool City Region Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) and invested through the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority through its Strategic Investment Fund.
