Our Regional Civil Engineering Team (ORCE) has made excellent progress on several key projects in recent months, implementing innovative efficiencies and prioritising sustainability, as outlined in our business plan.
Baiter Park waterfront in Poole gets a major makeover with greener travel
The team have completed the second phase of improvements to the Baiter Park waterfront area in Poole Dorset.
They have completed 650m of new cycleway to provide more sustainable green travel options for people across the communities of Poole and Bournemouth. In addition to the new cycleway, the existing promenade and community spaces have been resurfaced along with improvements to provide greater public accessibility to those with impaired mobility.
Keeping sustainability at the forefront, all materials including the excavated materials, timber groins were reused alongside and the use recycled fencing. Also, granite materials were stored our customer, BCP Council storage facility.
All the collaborative effort reduced costs, avoided transport movements, minimised carbon and disruption to residents and businesses.
Miner Arms Junction blackspot on track for new safer layout
The long-awaited transformation of the notorious Miner’s Arms crossroads near Priddy, Somerset, is progressing steadily. The new junction layout was successfully opened to the public on 16 September with final completion expected in October.
Previously recognised as a collision hotspot, the Miner’s Arms junction had a troubling history of serious and fatal accidents. Avon and Somerset Police reported 35 collisions in the past 20 years, with many more likely unreported incidents. This project is the first ORCE project for Somerset County Council through their New Assets Framework.
The new crossroads with a safer, staggered junction will improve long-term public safety, reduce the risks of future collisions and ultimately save lives.
Barrack Road Project completed one week ahead of schedule
The ORCE team undertaking working for BCP Council successfully completed the replacement of life-expired waterproofing on the bridge deck on Barrack Road Bridge, finishing the project one week ahead of schedule. As the second phase of the programme, the team applied several lessons learnt and identified efficiencies from the first phase of works on the eastbound side of the bridge.
As the programme relied on three partners, the team identified in the first phase that the original schedule had sufficient gaps between each planned activity. They realised this allowed for each section of work to be coordinated and completed earlier than expected by the next contractor. By recognising these time efficiencies, the team streamlined the schedule and confidently planned when the next subcontractor team would be needed on site.
Thanks to excellent collaboration and communication, the team managed to eliminate any downtime between subcontractors, ultimately saving four days on the second phase of the programme. This efficiency allowed the road to be opened to the public earlier than planned.
Well done to the team for your excellent collaboration with our partners. Your efforts in implementing efficiencies not only delighted our customer but also minimised disruption to passengers.
