Wednesbury Gas Mains Replacement Project
A major scheme is being carried out to replace ageing gas mains in Wednesbury. Undertaken by Balfour Beatty on behalf of Cadent Gas, the scheme is to replace 160 metres of cast iron pipes which will last at least 80 years as part of a £65 million investment in new gas pipes in the West Midlands.
A large scale traffic management scheme was required for the 12 week duration of the project, which was to commence on 14th December 2020 and to be completed on 15th March 2021. Walsall Street needed to be closed northbound for all traffic travelling towards Junction 9 of the M6. Multiple diversion routes also needed to be implemented for local and through traffic, including HGV diversions due to a 7.5 tonne environmental weight restriction on side roads in the vicinity of the works.
- Customer Name
- Balfour Beatty
- Project and Location
- Walsall Street, Wednesbury, West Midlands
- Sector
- Utilities
- Duration
- 12 weeks
- Products (Inc Quantity)
-
Over 150 traffic signs, plus cones and traffic barriers, 6 x VMS signs and 1 x CCTV tower.
The Challenge
The traffic management needed to be carefully planned in order to reduce congestion as far as possible while the work was being carried out. It also needed to be devised in line with specifications set out by the local authority and the customer.
The scale of the project was such that over 150 signs needed to be sourced and prepared within short timescales and delivered to site in advance of the works. The one way closure of Walsall Street was implemented at 7am on Monday 4th January 2021 with co-ordination of message changes on a total of six Variable Message Signs (VMS). Continual site monitoring also needed to carried out using CCTV.
The Solution
Sunbelt Rentals provided a complete solution with a lead Traffic Management Operative assigned to oversee the traffic management installation in advance of the works, and to oversee implementation of the closure. In total, Sunbelt Rentals provided over 150 traffic management signs, as well as cones and traffic barriers.
Six Variable Message Signs (VMS) were used to display messages to motorists as required and Sunbelt Rentals also supplied a CCTV Tower. This enhanced security, allowed remote monitoring of the roadworks and was a visible deterrent to help prevent intrusion on the traffic management site. Sunbelt Rentals were able to use their vast traffic management experience to ensure the closure ran as smoothly as possible.
This work is essential to ensure that homes and businesses in the area continue to receive a safe and reliable gas supply for many years to come. The traffic management solution provided by Sunbelt Rentals helped to ensure that disruption from the roadworks was minimised as far as possible.Thomas Oakley - Balfour Beatty Construction Manager
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