How we'll deliver our improvements
How we'll deliver our improvements
We’ll be starting our preparation work in summer 2022, with the main construction starting in October 2022. Our scheme is expected to be open for traffic in summer 2025, with planting and landscaping continuing off network for a short time afterwards.
Since our early consultations, we’ve been busy developing the design and construction plans, and your feedback has helped shape how we’ll be delivering this scheme.
Most of our construction will take place off the road network, with the new loop road and links being almost fully built before we need to do any major work that will impact drivers.
We’ll still need to have some closures. These will be when we link the new roads to the existing network, and while we’re working on the gantries and signage.
(Aerial visualisation of our improvements)
Preparation work – from July 2022
The first thing you’ll notice, is us clearing vegetation and a compound being set up to provide welfare and offices for everyone on the site. There will also be teams carrying out surveys, including archaeologists working around the area of the Maylands aerodrome.
There is a gas main running through the site, and we’ll be working with Cadent Gas to get this moved before any construction starts. They’ll be using a specialist machine, called a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), to create the new route of the pipe. This is known as a ‘no-dig’ technique and removes the need to dig along the full route of the pipe. Instead, two large holes are dug into the ground at either end of the new pipe route, these are called shafts. The TBM gets lowered into one of these shafts, where it starts its journey below the ground, ending at the other shaft. Once in the end shaft, it gets removed from the ground.
Main construction – from October 2022
The next phase will see our main construction activities start. This will include earthworks to reshape the landscape and preparing the ground to start building the multiple bridges.
(Construction work)
