25 May 2006 - TARMAC SCOOPS LONDON DEMO PROJECT
Tarmac has been appointed as principal contractor to carry out one of just ten national Demonstration Projects, to transform a busy mixed priority urban route, making it safer and more accessible for all road users.
The £2.4 million contract, awarded by Lambeth Transport, is to renew a 1.5 km stretch of the Wandsworth Road, between Wandsworth and Vauxhall Cross. The route is particularly well-used by pedestrians and road users and is currently responsible for 42 casualties a year.
Work started on the project this month (May) and is an opportunity for Tarmac to demonstrate its start to finish contract capabilities as a supplier of quality products as well as project management and contracting services. Aiming to overhaul the road lay-out, making it easier and safer to use, the project will involve digging new duct runs and installing cables for new signalling systems, before laying a new asphalt road surface and constructing footpaths using pre-cast concrete products and ironwork.
Neil Huntington, Tarmac's General Manager Civils in the South East, comments:
"This is an exciting project that will show how it is possible to re-design and re-build a stretch of road to make it safer and easier to use for everyone.
"The project allows us to demonstrate our expertise in planning and implementing a total road renewal scheme and managing the entire programme of works to minimise disruption. Our experience of traffic management and our understanding of how it is possible to make best use of road space for the benefit of all road users, has contributed to our success in being awarded this contract."
Currently a two lane carriageway, the road will be re-designed to make space for a priority bus lane and dedicated cycle lanes and the existing road surface itself will be planed out and replaced. The adjacent footways will be re-constructed using modular 400 concrete paving slabs to provide an aesthetic, low maintenance and long-lasting solution. New traffic light systems will also be installed at three crossroads along the route.
Cllr. Lib Peck, cabinet member for parking and transport comments:
"This Demonstration Project route, which runs through a busy residential area, will be beneficial to all road users, keeping the traffic flowing while creating space for buses and cyclists. This kind of mixed priority solution will ultimately help to cut road-related injuries, creating a safer and more appealing environment for local people."
This project is one of ten similar projects being implemented on busy urban routes around the country.
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For further information please contact Christine Smart, Delia Elcock, Andy Hutson or Rebecca Cowley on 0121 456 3199 or email: christine.smart@iassmarts.com.
