Tarmac’s new infrastructure team
David Mellor, operations director
2019 has been an amazing first year for our newly created Infrastructure team, with several major civil engineering works already nearing completion and a pipeline of prestigious projects all set to start.
The team includes former Carillion joint venture colleagues and is bringing its expertise as principal contractor to multi-million-pound projects for ports and harbours, the defence sector and Local Authority infrastructure.
The team completed two new contracts it was awarded – improvements to a complex junction in Leicester City Centre and refurbishment of nearby Whitwick Bridge and the long-awaited sustainable cycling and walking route through the historic city of Cambridge.
The high-profile Chisholm Trail project links the city’s railway station to the new Cambridge North station and opens up the city’s beautiful green spaces. Over the next 14 months, the team will be building a 1.5-mile section of the cycleway across Ditton Meadows, constructing the attractive, architecturally designed Abbey-Chesterton Bridge over the River Cam and creating an underpass beneath the A1134. All of which involve their own unique challenges.
David Mellor, operations director, said: “It’s a first for the Infrastructure business as Tarmac. The steel arch bridge is too large to transport, so it’s being fabricated in six pieces and will be joined on site and lifted into place by an 800-tonne crane.
“We’ll build a jetty walkway alongside the river to provide continuity for public walking as we’ll be working in a sensitive area. Part of it will be just 10m from an electrified railway line so we’ll need to take possession for a full night. We’ll also have to close a busy road, and completely dig out and build an underpass all in a single weekend! It’s a major operation, but a brilliant showcase for our expertise.”
“It’s not just a major investment, but a big milestone for us as it brings the entire team together in one place for the first time. It’s really going to boost collaboration as we bring major civil engineering expertise back to the business,” added David.