A joint venture (JV) between Balfour Beatty and Mott MacDonald has broken the record for the amount of road surface laid in one night.
Using a new method being trialled by Highways England, the contractors laid over 1,100 tonnes (13,000 sq m) of road surface on a two mile stretch of the M6 last month.
Preparation work for the scheme took place before the scheme on a Friday night, including planing off the existing road surface and repairing deep cracks and potholes.
A lane closure was kept in place during the day on Saturday to protect the unfinished road surface, allowing crews to focus entirely on laying the new 50mm deep tarmac during the night.
Overall, work that would have normally taken seven nights to complete was finished in two, with no near misses or safety incidents recorded.
An average 163.7 tonnes of road surface was laid every hour, totalling 1,146.3 tonnes during the Saturday night. Various machines used included:
• 14 tippers.
• Three rollers.
• Three traffic management vehicles.
• Two crew buses.
• One planer.
• One paver.
• One sprayer.
• One sweeper.
• One JCB.
• One detectors wagon.
• One line marking and study wagon.
John Lyssejko, Project Manager at Highways England, said: "We’re keen to do things differently, maintain high standards and reduce the impact on drivers and this new method of working ticks every box.
Everyone worked really hard on the planning and on the night to make it work, and the response has been very positive. Now we know how well it works, and we are confident that we can maintain safety, we can start to look to use the method elsewhere on the network."
(LM)
Construction News
01/06/2016
Balfour Beatty JV Breaks Road Surfacing Record


17/04/2025
Willmott Dixon has been selected by Oldham Council to build a new Visitor Centre and Forestry Skills Centre at Northern Roots, the UK's largest urban farm and eco-park.
The development marks a major milestone in the transformation of 160 acres of green space at the heart of Oldham, part of the coun

17/04/2025
A groundbreaking ceremony has officially marked the commencement of construction for Versa, a state-of-the-art laboratory facility at King's Cross.
The project, which is being delivered by Morgan Sindall Construction, has been commissioned by Kadans Science Partner, a prominent European investor s

17/04/2025
A major milestone has been reached on Skanska's A428 improvement scheme, as the project team connected the new A428 and B1040 roads over a newly constructed bridge and opened it to traffic last weekend.
The achievement marks a crucial step forward in the project, enabling access to part of the main

17/04/2025
Our welfare unit hire division offers innovative ecowelfare units ready to be delivered nationwide and available in a range of configurations to accommodate 7, 12, or 15 persons with our most popular unit being our 12ft model fitted with advanced solar panels means there is no noise or vibrations f

17/04/2025
Huddersfield Station will temporarily close from Saturday 30 August to Monday 29 September 2025 to allow for a critical phase of engineering work as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU).
The closure will enable extensive track and platform remodelling at the Grade I listed station, which ha

17/04/2025
Visitors to Mumbles over the Easter holidays can now enjoy the transformed promenade, as major upgrades under the Mumbles Coastal Protection Project near completion.
Contractors have begun laying a durable buff-coloured top surface, replacing the previously installed black Tarmac. The fresh finish

17/04/2025
Herefordshire Council has secured £1 million in funding from the government’s Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme, to redevelop Hereford's Museum and Art Gallery into one of the most energy-efficient heritage public buildings in the UK.
The funding will be used to install a low carbon heating syst

17/04/2025
David Lloyd Leisure, Europe's leading health, fitness and wellness group, has submitted a planning application to Wirral Council for a new club at Wirral Waters.
The proposed club, set to create up to 100 permanent jobs upon completion, will be located at Peel Waters’ Bidston Dock site off Wallasey

16/04/2025
Pennyfarthing Homes has officially broken ground at Danes Park in New Milton, launching construction on a significant new residential development that will deliver 164 homes.
To mark the milestone, directors from Pennyfarthing Homes welcomed Councillor Steve Davies, Portfolio Holder for Housing and

16/04/2025
GMI Construction Group is celebrating the official opening of Dakota Newcastle, the North East's first Dakota Hotel, situated on Newcastle's Quayside.
The 118-room luxury boutique hotel, located at St Anne's Wharf, has welcomed its first guests and is poised to become a major addition to the region