Berwick Green, Cribbs Patchway
MONTEL
Berwick Green, Cribbs Patchway
October 2022
In the last month we have completed final surfacing and white lining to both major junctions at The Laurels and Passage Road. We have also completed traffic signals installation and commissioning at The Laurels and these are now operational. We still have re-designed drainage works to complete north of The Laurels junction and the rest of the junction works at Passage Road, consequently the Traffic Management and lane closures at each end of the works will remain in place to protect our workforce and the public in these areas. Most of the carriageway finishing work was done at night for safety reasons and to avoid heavy traffic congestion during the daytime.
Passage Road junction Traffic signals and finishing works are now underway and we are currently moving our site offices from the Causeway to the back of the development to allow landscaping and finishing works to take place at the site entrance.
Work on the infrastructure roads within the site is substantially complete, with streetlighting installed and lit on the main distributor road and the remaining distributor roads surfaced to enable access for the Developers and their works. Underground Mains Utilities are now complete and live (Water, Gas, High Voltage and Low Voltage electricity and Fibre duct network for future telecoms installation).
September 2022
Works have successfully completed on our Triangle site, the nightworks undertaken to re-surface the highway on Station Road and the main junction on the A4018 into the Triangle completed as scheduled. Works on the A4018 on the main two junction into the development are still ongoing, and road closures are required as we progress to the next stage of works.
The closures are planned to start from the 12th of September, with works being undertaken between 8pm and 6am, these will comprise of resurfacing works to allow the completion of two major road junctions that lead into the Berwick Green development. We aim to reduce the impact of the works on the community by undertaking the works in stages, this enables us to keep one of the carriageways (northbound or southbound) open throughout the night while working on the opposite closed section. The overall duration of the works is anticipated to take around 10 nights within the 4-week period we’ve been allocated. To further reduce the number of nights required, we will be undertaking enabling works during the day from the 30th of August until the 12th of September utilising the existing single lane restrictions that are in place while both carriageways remain open. Please note that the night closures will be undertaken from Monday to Thursday night (not Friday night or at weekends).
We appreciate the community’s patience while these works are undertaken.
August 2022
This month we have completed our contract works at The Triangle site and are continuing to concentrate our efforts on the A4018 junction works at The Laurels and Passage Road. These works have been carried out in collaboration with Bristol Water and Wales and West Gas who have been carrying out mains installations and reinforcement works during the period in order to avoid further excavations along the A4018 after Montel’s works are complete. Traffic signal installation and central reservation construction are well underway at The Laurels. The junction in Passage Road has had the majority of civil engineering works completed with Western Power and BT Openreach both having their mains diversion works to complete over the coming weeks while Bristol Water finish their works in the same area. Construction works on the central reservation and traffic signal installation at Passage Road will commence imminently. On the main development site the primary utilities; water, gas, electricity and fibre (communications) works are live along the primary infrastructure road linking each end of the site. The rest of the site infrastructure roads from Phase 1 are now 95% complete with Phase 2 well underway and surfacing planned for the last week of August.
July 2022
29/07/2022
This week we have surfaced three sections of infrastructure roads to enable a start to be made by the Developer on their first three plots. We have completed the trimming and finishing works to The Triangle site road works and are on course to complete the final main Highway surfacing works over 2 nighshifts in 2 weeks’ time. Mains water and Gas installations are 90% complete through Road 1 and GTC have connected Bellways compound electricity supply.
On the A4018 Highway works after Bristol Water completed their section of works on the southbound carriageway, we have recommenced at the Laurels junction central reservation and are 90% complete in bringing the main site foul sewer outfall to its final connection in the site entrance opposite Passage Road.
08/07/2022
Montel have been advised that Bristol Water will complete their mains diversion week commencing 11th July, which will allow us to move into the final phase of the traffic signalised junctions. It is anticipated that these will be completed late Autumn 2022. In order to carry out the final surfacing works, it will be necessary to implement further lane and road closures – these will be advertised when specific dates have been agreed with the local authority.
This complex scheme next to the M5 in Bristol has involved significant traffic management on the A4018 dual carriageway to enable the remodelling of the existing, and the construction of new, junctions during live flow conditions. When completed, these will provide access to a new significant housing development. Montel is also constructing the bulk earthworks and primary infrastructure across this 50-hectare site. The A4018 provides a strategic link between the M5 and the south and west of Bristol and as well as the Cribbs Causeway “Mall” retail centre being within a kilometre of the project, there are a large number of commercial properties fronting onto the dual carriageway.
The network is busy at all times, both with motor vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians; exacerbated by the fact that it is also a bus route into Bristol city centre. Through early dialogue with South Gloucestershire Council, Montel’s works phasing and associated traffic management was compiled and implemented with the traffic flows being a major constraint – with the sequencing used by us done to so accommodate the more extensive requirements of the local highway’s networks. The wider works included in the project consisted of:
- Construction of two major Section 278 traffic signalised junctions on the A4018.
- Construction of a new roundabout.
- Re-modelling of a further, existing, junction.
- Construction of 2.5km of primary carriageway with all associated drainage, foul water pumping station, over 400,000m3 of bulk earthworks and footpaths.
The highway works have required the direct liaison with all Statutory Undertakers due to the presence of numerous and significant utilities along the existing highway. Through early contractor involvement (ECI) Montel were made aware of the presence of all known services and were able to coordinate and manage the protection or diversion works necessary to allow the permanent works to be safely undertaken. These services were exposed through a combination of trial holes, vacuum-excavation, and hand excavation and were either diverted or protected as dictated by the asset owner.
For this complex highway’s project we invested significant time assisting our client with tender stage programme phasing, value engineering, and budget costing to ensure that the procured scheme offered the optimum solution. Phasing and traffic management plans were compiled, tabled, and discussed face-to-face at regular meetings with the South Gloucestershire highways and network management teams, the design team (Phoenix Design Partnership) and representatives of the Statutory Undertakers, with Gantt-chart programmes produced which were also instrumental to understanding the durations associated with each phase of the works.
To further assist our client, and to help them discharge their planning obligations, Montel also provided both Construction Phase Health & Safety and Construction Environment Management Plans for submission to the local authority. The latter of these provided a narrative as to how we anticipated to manage the site and the local environment, and our project team then instigated and proactively managed meetings with the teams from South Gloucestershire Council – and their interested stakeholders (such as the bus companies) – to discuss and agree traffic management sequencing, durations, and methodology in advance of the project starting.
Montel work collaboratively with our clients to ensure that all works are managed in a manner which provides confidence to our clients and their teams.
Why are the works needed?
The land in between the A4018 and the M5 at Berwick Green has been granted permission to construct over 760 residential units. Montel have been engaged by the developers to form the first phase of the primary infrastructure, in readiness for the subsequent house-building to commence.
What works are Montel undertaking?
Due to the scale of the scheme, there are many aspects to the works we’re carrying out, but the principal items are:
- The bulk earthworks to form the plateaux for the housing parcels. This has involved the trans-location of over 400,000m3 of material in order to cut and fill the various areas.
- The installation of over 5km of foul and storm water drainage networks.
- The introduction of four underground storage tank that will attenuate rain water and prevent surcharging of the nearby Henbury Trym watercourse.
- The upgrade of the junctions between the A4018 and both The Laurels and Passage Road – with new accesses into the development being incorporated off what will be newly signalised crossroads.
- The construction of over 2km of new carriageway to provide access routes to the development parcels.
- The facilitation of new communications, electric, gas and water utilities for the new housing – including off-site reinforcement works and sub-stations.
How long will the work take?
The project began in April 2021 and is expected to be completed late Autumn 2022.
Will there be a lot more traffic?
Unfortunately, but through necessity, we will need to have a significant number of deliveries made to site in order to provide the materials required to construct the works. It is our intention to use the most local suppliers we can in order to achieve this, but it will mean numerous additional vehicles will have to access and egress our site.
How will the traffic be controlled?
In order to provide safe environments for both members of the public and our own workforce, there will be extensive traffic management implemented along the A4018. All measures will have been agreed with the South Gloucestershire Highways team prior to implementation – and it will be inspected (at least twice) daily by our specialist traffic management contractor.
What days will Montel be working?
Generally, Monday to Friday 7:30am to 6pm, and Saturdays between 07.30 and 13.00 – although there may be occasions where we need to work beyond this in order to complete specific activities. No works will be undertaken on Bank Holidays or Sundays.
Will there be a lot of mud, noise and dust?
Dust and noise is levels are monitored throughout the day. Our machinery has the latest technology in noise suppression, and the type of works required should produce minimal dust. We will be carrying out regular cleaning of the roads to ensure that these are kept as clean as possible at all stages of the infrastructure construction.