Sheet Piling UK Accelerates M1 Smart Motorway Works
Sheet Piling (UK) Ltd has gone all out to accelerate the completion of smart motorway works between Junctions 13-16 of the M1, where it is installing 7500Te of steel sheet piles, as part of Highways England’s smart motorway roll out programme.
The sheet piling works, designed to create the infrastructure that facilitates all-lane running on smart motorways, started in September 2019 and were originally due for completion in April 2021. Due to the operational efficiencies and dedicated sheet piling team that Sheet Piling UK has deployed, delivery time for this phase of the M1 smart motorway project has been cut by around three months, with completion now scheduled for January 2021.
To deliver this fast turnaround, despite Covid-19 disruptions during the course of this project, Sheet Piling UK has accelerated the programme by having up to six sheet pile installation gangs and three sheet pile impact driving gangs working on programme delivery. This more or less doubles the manpower originally intended.
Additionally, it has created a dedicated team for the site, consisting of 30 operators, managed by one project manager and four supervisors and assisted by two agents and two setting out engineers.
Most importantly, it has also used its long-reach leader rigs for night-time sheet piling works, to deliver major programme efficiencies and reduce the impacts on motorists using the M1.
The reach of the rig – three metres longer than that of any other rig in the UK – has been particularly valued by this project, as it has considerably reduced environmental impacts on ancient woodland and species such as dormice and badger, which have habitats in the undergrowth.
Steel sheet piles installed by the Sheet Piling UK crews have been manufactured by top-quality suppliers, Arcelor Mittal and Emirates Steel, with Sheet Piling UK having an exclusive agent arrangement with the latter, throughout the UK and Ireland.
The M1 smart motorway works tackled by Sheet Piling UK in this particular project run from Jct 13 at Milton Keynes South, to Jct 16, the Upper Heyford Interchange for connection to the A45 to Daventry and the A4500 to Northampton.
The sheet piling work takes place in areas in which emergency rescue areas (ERAs) are installed and this stretch of the M1 will have 38 new ERAs and two upgraded ones, in total.
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Sheet Piling (UK) Limited is one of the UK's leading piling contractors. Owning and operating a comprehensive range of specialist piling equipment Sheet Piling (UK) Ltd also carry extensive stocks of new and used piles enabling rapid reaction to any urgent requirements or emergency situations.