Warrington East Phase 2 & 3

Phase 2 - Project value: £7.5 million

Phase 3 - Project value: £9.6 million

Sector: Infrastructure

Considerate Constructor Score (phase 2 & 3): 43/50

Local labour within 40 miles (phase 2 & 3): 100%

Spend with SMEs (phase 2 & 3): 90%

We have been delighted with the levels of added social and educational value the SCAPE framework has ensured as part of these projects. The quality is good and the service provided is well managed with costs kept under control."

Clive Arnold

Principal Projects Manager - Infrastructure, Highways and Engineering | Warrington Borough Council

Warrington Borough Council (WBC) needed to improve infrastructure, congestion and journey quality in east Warrington, and so commissioned a programme of works to improve journey times and ease congestion for vehicle traffic, reduce the overall journey times and enhance the benefits for cyclists and pedestrians.

Working closely with the Council, Balfour Beatty were commissioned via the SCAPE Civil Engineering and Infrastructure framework to prepare a feasibility budget for this package of works, which was used to support a funding application made to Warrington’s Local Enterprise Partnership.

With a lower level of funding approved than requested, value engineering identified potential savings and a review of traffic modelling was undertaken to prioritise improvements that would deliver the best reduction in journey times and queue lengths.

The schemes were then subject to detailed design and validation and the scope developed with works assigned to phases 2 and 3. Through Early Contractor Involvement via the framework, savings of around £309k were identified, helping to make these works affordable for the Council.

A successful Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund (NPIF) funding application allowed WBC to realise their vision of improvements to Birchwood Park, increasing the scope to dual the entire length of the A574 included as part of WEP3.

These works will reduce the traffic congestion regularly experienced along Birchwood Way, which affects the economic attractiveness of the Birchwood employment sites and will improve safety and accessibility for cyclists and pedestrians.

Warrington Borough Council (WBC) needed to improve infrastructure, congestion and journey quality in East Warrington, and commissioned a programme of works including:

Mossgate roundabout to M62 J11 and Woolston Grange Avenue - dualling to improve capacity and reduce congestion,
College roundabout - Fearnwood Lane/Crab Lane/Birchwood Way junction improvement – major remodelling of the junction and approach with traffic signalling,
Oakwood Gate/Birchwood Way Roundabout – localised widening.

The outcomes of this project align with and enable the Council to demonstrate their three equality pledges to:

Protect the most vulnerable - by improving road safety and reducing traffic pollution due to queuing traffic,
Support the local economy - by supporting the growth of the Birchwood Enterprise Zone and other key employment and commercial areas in east Warrington, providing increased opportunities for local people,
Help build strong and active communities for all - by providing links to new open spaces for local residents.

Birchwood is a thriving and busy area which includes both businesses and extensive residential areas, so maintaining traffic flow was a key challenge for the team.

To maximise efficient working and reduce the impact on the local community, a series of nightshifts were reprogrammed into one weekend closure.

To maintain traffic flow at all times, work was undertaken during off-peak times with TM removed and reinstated around these working patterns.

A review of the overall scheme delivery identified a potential overlap with the construction delivery of the phase 2 scheme. A revised delivery programme resulted in phase 3 construction works starting onsite six months early. This overlap of some construction preliminaries resulted in a scheme saving of approximately £240k.

By re-using all suitable material, the team saved the Council £1m in disposal costs and have supported the collective pledge to delivering projects in a more sustainable way.

On both phases, the project used 100% local labour. The locally sourced supply chain employed had previously worked with Balfour Beatty and WBC on other projects. Building upon these strong relationships led to the more efficient, successful delivery of this project. At some points during delivery, the same supply chain partners worked across both phases simultaneously, resulting in increased efficiencies through shared, transferable labour and materials.

Phase 2 was been delivered 13 weeks ahead of programme and phase 3 was completed on time and budget.