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,
GRAHAM has been awarded a place on Highways England ‘Regional Delivery Partnership’ under Band A for schemes below £100m. This six-year partnership replaces the existing Collaborative Delivery Framework (CDF). The GRAHAM team, including design partners SWECO and Fairhurst, will initially deliver three design and build projects that will improve Junctions
ZF Services Nottingham Off-Highway centre increases capacity through workshop expansion and engineer recruitment More customers to benefit from “complete range of transmission and axle solutions” Expansion reflects recent full year growth of world’s top 50 construction equipment manufacturers* ZF Services UK has expanded its capacity to remanufacture and repair transmissions,
The South Devon Highway has picked up another major national award. At the British Construction Industry awards, the link road scheme won the Community Engagement Award. The project team, made up of WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff, Torbay Council, Devon County Council, construction firm Galliford Try and its designer Ramboll, accepted the
Highways England is mulling several changes to its work procurement methods as part of its £7 billion Routes to Market framework. Jim O’Sullivan, Chief Executive of Highways England, said that the body was in the process of consulting with contractors regarding the structure of the framework and that several changes
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
GRAHAM has been awarded a place on Highways England ‘Regional Delivery Partnership’ under Band A for schemes below £100m. This six-year partnership replaces the existing Collaborative Delivery Framework (CDF). The GRAHAM team, including design partners SWECO and Fairhurst, will initially deliver three design and build projects that will improve Junctions 25 and 28 of the M25 and Junction 5 of the M2 as part of Highways England’s major highways improvement schemes across the South East of England. Strategic alignment This latest win is further evidence of GRAHAM’s collaborative approach. The privately-owned company recently launched a five-year Highways Strategy – a clear sign of its ambition to be recognised as an industry leader; not only in engineering and technological capacity but also in people development, safety, quality and the impact on the communities where it operates. 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, will be to continue developing this strong collaborative relationship. Commenting on the Highways England ‘Regional Delivery Partnership’ success, GRAHAM’s Highways Director, Dave Brown, said: “We enjoy a very positive relationship with Highways England and are committed to working in partnership to ultimately deliver safely and provide value for money for the public. We are looking forward to the mobilisation of the ‘Regional Delivery Partnership’ including the South East packages, and the team is optimistic about the journey ahead with Highways England who represent one of our key clients. The enhancement works that we will deliver will significantly reduce congestion and add social value.” John Owens, Operations and Programme Director at SWECO, one of GRAHAM’s design partners on the Partnership, added: “We have a strong relationship with GRAHAM, which has been developed over the past 20 years through jointly delivering a number of significant design and build projects. We look forward to continuing to build the relationship and applying our international design expertise to deliver highway enhancements across the East and South East.” In addition, Ian McKay, Contract Partner for Fairhurst, said: “This is a fantastic win for GRAHAM, SWECO and Fairhurst and provides an exciting platform to allow Fairhurst to further develop our modern client-focused multidisciplinary consultancy services. We aim to develop these relationships further through collaboration and the development of innovative, cost effective and sustainable design solutions, to enable our delivery partnership to exceed Highways England’s expectations.” GRAHAM and Highways England Some of GRAHAM’s recent collaborative successes in partnership with Highways England include: Delivering over 70 individual work programmes for Highways England as part of a major highways improvement scheme for OD East Completion of the award-winning A138 Chelmer Viaduct (£32m) – a strategic highways link in Chelmsford, Essex, which has increased transport capacity and significantly improved journeys for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians Working alongside Highways England to maximise efficiencies using a robust collaborative programme planning process Serving as an influential member of Highways England’s Suppliers Diversity Forum (SDF) and project managing a successful inclusivity conference on behalf of Highways England Completion of a noise-reduction scheme along an 11.5 mile section of motorway on the M40
ZF Services Nottingham Off-Highway centre increases capacity through workshop expansion and engineer recruitment More customers to benefit from “complete range of transmission and axle solutions” Expansion reflects recent full year growth of world’s top 50 construction equipment manufacturers* ZF Services UK has expanded its capacity to remanufacture and repair transmissions, axles and gearboxes for off-highway applications, covering construction, agriculture and material handling. In response to an upsurge in market demand, the company’s Nottingham-based repair centre has been developed to ensure customers further benefit from a complete range of support solutions from repair and remanufacture, to parts and technical support. The expansion includes a dedicated axle repair and remanufacture work area, with additional technicians recruited to meet the increased demand, now trained to deliver ZF OEM standard transmission and axle workshop repair and reman solutions. The centre also stocks and distributes genuine ZF parts, as well as providing a non-ZF gearbox remanufacture and reverse engineering service. The recent expansion has also led to further recruitment in other areas, with growth in the sales team. Boosted field service support Field service support has also been boosted by the recent expansion, allowing more certified ZF trained technicians to carry out diagnosis, health checks and commissioning of gearboxes in many demanding, often extreme off-highway environments. This enables even more ZF Aftermarket customers to gain full advantage from improved service performance, efficiency and cost reductions, through simplified access to service, repair and maintenance of gearboxes, as well as product support and technical advice, all in one place. Larger capacity, stronger offering Fully ISO accredited, the ZF Aftermarket Repair Centre is a dedicated, modern facility and boasts a 6500m² workshop area to further underline the company’s position as a leading industry specialist. Its industry-dedicated workshops with multi-brand capabilities uses only industry trained technicians who are multi-skilled and work to OEM standards. Every component is tested to original ZF factory specification, with ZF product updates made on every remanufactured production, all backed by a 12-month, 1500-hour warranty for off highway applications. Each part is remanufactured to original specification and upgraded to the highest level where possible. Gavin Donoghue, Business Manager – Off-Highway, said: “The top 50 construction equipment manufacturers experienced significant growth in 2017 and nearly all OEMs reported double digit growth*, which is reflected in our own aftermarket business, in particular in Off-Highway at the moment. “The recent expansion of ZF Services ensures we’re more than primed to keep up with this demand.” For more information about ZF Services UK, please visit www.zf.com/uk.
The South Devon Highway has picked up another major national award. At the British Construction Industry awards, the link road scheme won the Community Engagement Award. The project team, made up of WSP Parsons Brinckerhoff, Torbay Council, Devon County Council, construction firm Galliford Try and its designer Ramboll, accepted the prize at the London awards ceremony. They are considered the UK’s most prestigious awards for the entire built environment. The project has won a number of awards since it opened, including a gold Green Apple award for its environmental activities, a regional Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation South West award, an institute of Highway Engineers award, a gold Considerate Constructors award and two Institute of Civil Engineering regional awards. Devon County Council cabinet member for economy and growth, Cllr Andrew Leadbetter, commented: “Building the South Devon Highway was highly complex, involving many partners and engineering challenges. “The proximity of the project to residents meant engaging with the community was crucial to the success of the project. This award is therefore formal recognition of our thorough communication with residents and motorists throughout the project.” Gordon Oliver, mayor of Torbay, said: “This is brilliant news for the project and is well deserved. “We know the community engagement activities, including setting up a community liaison group, all helped to keep people informed of activity on the project and helped activity to progress smoothly.” Chris Hastings, Galliford Try project director, added: “The award is a tribute to the huge effort made by the team. “Close collaboration and strong working relationships with the community played a huge part in the project staying on programme. “The community was kept informed of developments at all times and had a say in the construction process through the community liaison group.” The scheme also received a highly commended rating in the major civil engineering project of the year (over £50 million) category and was shortlisted in the low carbon construction, judges special and Prime Minister’s better public building categories.
Highways England is mulling several changes to its work procurement methods as part of its £7 billion Routes to Market framework. Jim O’Sullivan, Chief Executive of Highways England, said that the body was in the process of consulting with contractors regarding the structure of the framework and that several changes were being considered. Among the potential changes is the procurement of major road projects away from the framework. O’Sullivan said that the scale and size of schemes such as the A303 tunnel and Lower Thames Crossing made it a clear step for the organisation to take. He also confirmed that there is a high possibility of mini-bids being scrapped and replaced with a system of allocation based on the successful delivery of previous jobs. O’Sullivan explained: “If you deliver the last job to budget, to quality and to time, then we will try to roll it on to the next job. “If you are in a particular lot, then we will simply allocate the next job to the most successful contractor or team.” He also said that Highways England was looking at new methods of dividing the Routes to Market framework and was eager to add more flexibility to the lots. Its existing Collaborative Delivery Framework is divided lots organised by project value, with the smallest covering work up to and including £25 million and the highest comprising projects between £100 million and £450 million. Mr O’Sullivan said the organisation was reviewing whether lots based strictly on project values was the most efficient way to move forward. “We recognise that it is not a straight line correlation between complexity and size; a smaller complex project may find itself in the wrong lot if you are working on the basis of capital value,” Mr O’Sullivan said. He added that there had also been situations on the current framework where five £20m projects, which could have been procured as a £100 million job, were instead divided between contractors across different lots.
