A595 & Corney Fell resurfacing, Cumbria

Limited site access due to the A595 road junction configuration meant traffic lights and various other measures were put in place.

The project scope

With DSD Construction working as Principal Contractor, this scheme involved the repair and resurfacing of the link road from the A595 to Corney Fell in south Cumbria. This minor road is used as a commuter road for the major employers at Sellafield and BAE Systems at Barrow in Furness, and therefore the works needed to be completed as quickly as possible. The road is in a rural area and is single track with limited passing places.

Access to the site was limited due to the A595 road junction configuration, single track road and lack of turning space at the resurfacing areas. This required traffic lights to control the A595 junction to allow delivery vehicles to reverse into the access road and then reverse for 2.4km to the resurfacing sites. With limited passing places, there was only space for one additional delivery vehicle on the site, with the rest being managed on a ‘just in time’, ‘one out one in’ basis. Our scope of work included:

• Overlay areas of the existing carriageway in 3 no. patches of 591m , 65m and 720m.

• Reprofiling of carriageway to redirect surface water from rock face to nearby stream.

• Plane out, patch and overlay surface using AC20 HDM Binder and 14 mm SMA 65 psv.

• Civils works including new gullies, replacement ironwork, new filter drains.

• Provision of welfare facilities

• Traffic management and road markings.

Key quantities:

• Chainage resurfacing: 1,376 m
• AC20 HDM Binder: 750 t
• 14mm SMA PSV Surface: 865 t

Challenges & successes

The project was in a remote rural location with difficult access where we had to consider the needs of residents with properties near to the works. Plant and asphalt deliveries required us to reverse into the site from the A595 junction and then reverse the wagons 2.4km to the resurfacing sites. To ensure safety during these operations, we stationed a series of banksmen along the road and asphalt deliveries were made on a ‘just in time’ basis from a nearby holding area. We consulted with the residents during the planning phase and then worked around their access requirements.

An overhead electric line runs parallel to the road which required us to take special precautions when tipping the asphalt into the paver. We considered using walking floor wagons, but there weren’t enough available in the county to make this a viable solution.