home > awards

Rugeley Bypass Phase 2

88.8%

Whole Project Award

Project Team: Client Staffordshire County Council (Client); Birse Civils Ltd & Birse Rail Ltd (Contractor) Staffordshire County Council (Designer)

The Project

Award presentation for Rugeley Bypass Phase 2

Rugeley Bypass was conceived to divert traffic away from the congested centre of the small town and contribute to the regeneration of the area. The bypass plays a significant role in the sustainable regeneration of mid-Staffordshire. The closure of Lea Hall Colliery led to many job losses, leaving the area in need of investment.

The scheme involved 2.2km of new bypass with footways and a cycle lane, on a raised embankment through the River Trent flood plain. The scheme has five major structures:

• two bridges over the River Trent
• one bridge over the Trent and Mersey Canal
• two under-rail bridges

The contract was awarded on an Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) basis and sustainability was a priority from the outset. Before construction started, the team held a workshop to focus on all elements of sustainability and determine key aims for the scheme. Individual specialists were invited to contribute with their areas of expertise. Other workshops included partnering, risk management and value engineering,

Creating jobs through sustainable transport links

The new bypass connects the £10-million Towers Business Park directly to the national highway network, allowing it to achieve its true potential as a job creation centre. Almost all the plots on Towers Business Park have now been let. Economic experts expect the bypass to create up to an extra 2,000 jobs. As a direct result of improved transport links JCB have invested in their Rugeley factory.

Recycling and sustainable materials: 97% fill materials sourced locally

Working as an integrated team Staffordshire County Council and Birse Civils have carried out the following recycling:

• Using lime stabilisation to treat existing embankment fill in place of imported quarry materials
• 50,000m3 general fill has been excavated from an adjacent local source and the surplus 12,000 m3 of alluvial material excavated from site has been back-hauled and placed in a borrow pit
• The surfacing base material contained 75% recycled materials including road planings for the aggregate and PFA for the binder
• Recycled hardcore has been used for all temporary haul roads; upon completion the roads have been removed and the hardcore recycled again
• Over 4,000m3 of structural concrete and non-structural concrete contains a recycled alternative to cement
• By value 82% of the materials used on the Rugeley project have been recycled or contain recycled elements.

The team proactively used a Site Waste Management Plan as a tool to manage waste issues. This was developed from the DTI's voluntary code of practice in advance of its introduction in April 2008.

Ecology: sustainable habitats to promote biodiversity

The new road crosses a Site of Biological Interest (SBI), which is a wetland area known locally as Rugeley Fen. During the planning stages of the scheme, several environmental surveys identified protected species, including:

• badgers
• otters
• crayfish
• bats
• nesting birds

The team have not only introduced mitigation measures but have actively enhanced the ecology and biodiversity of the project through:

• planting 5.1km of new hedgerows to replace the 0.8km removed for construction
• creating mammal tunnels through the embankment
• creating new foraging and shelter habitats
• using wild-flower seed mix in some areas to promote diverse insect life
• otter ledges on the river bridges

Sustainable solutions to prevent flooding

Located close to the River Trent, Rugeley has suffered severe flooding as recently as 2000. Building the new road had to take careful consideration of this. A flood compensation area was included in the works to create a zero balance in material. The finished capacity of the flood plain is equivalent to that prior to the bypass.

To mitigate concerns that the new road would act as a drain for the Rugeley Fen wetland area, the excavations and embankment were 'tanked' to keep groundwater on the Fen. This was done using a bentonite geotextile layer and has successfully maintained the groundwater levels on Rugeley Fen.

Improving the local community

Extensive consultation and liaison was carried out through the entire duration of the project from planning to construction. During construction, the team used the Considerate Constructors Scheme Framework to manage the public interface and deliver community projects.

The overall sustainability of Rugeley and quality of life for its residents will be enhanced through:

• improved road safety with a reduction of approximately 300 casualties over the next 30 years
• facilitation of improved public transport and aligned bus and train timetables
• diversion of traffic onto the bypass has reduced noise levels and improved air quality for residents
• improved cycleways and pedestrian routes linking residential areas and creating the spine for cycling and walking networks in Rugeley

2,000 local people attended a fun day to celebrate Rugeley Bypass opening