Tarmac provides bridge beams to help strengthen and widen M1 motorway

Lowering costs and speeding up construction

£0.5 million worth of custom designed precast concrete beams are being manufactured and supplied by Tarmac for the construction of 12 Bridge Structures between junctions 6a to 10 that forms part of the major M1 road widening scheme.

Around 183 beams of varying spans from 10m to 28m have been specially designed by Tarmac Precast, the UK’s leading supplier of precast concrete products. They will be used to create bridge decks between junctions 6a to 10 on the M1 near Hemel Hempstead. In addition to supplying the bridge beams Tarmac’s National Contracting division is also carrying out £30 million worth of surfacing, laying 550,000 tonnes of asphalt over two years.

The precast beams will be supplied over an 18-month period, as part of a contract between Tarmac and the main contractors, Balfour Beatty and Skanska, selected by the Highways Agency for the £290 million scheme.

With high load-bearing capacity, the 76 tonne precast concrete beam pictured - with a span of 28 metres – is one of the largest in the Tarmac’s Y beam range. The use of precast construction methods reduces installation costs, helps accelerate the build programme, promotes on site health and safety and ensures lower maintenance levels over the project’s lifetime.

Commenting on the contract, Marcus Parnham, sales and marketing manager at Tarmac Precast said: “By working closely with Balfour Beatty and Skanska, this high volume order of 183 beams has been specifically developed by our engineers and cast at our Tallington and Henlade factories. This is a clear example of our ability to co-ordinate the manufacture and supply of a bespoke, high load bearing product.”

4 May 2006

See more on the Tarmac Precast website

 

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