A595 New Mill to Gosforth Crossroads Resurfacing, Cumbria

A595 resurfacing works between New Mill and Gosforth were delivered on time with minimal disruption to residents and the Sellafield nuclear site.

The project scope

With DSD Construction acting as Principal Contractor, this scheme involved the resurfacing of an extremely busy section of the A595 between New Mill and Gosforth, Cumbria using inlay and overlay techniques.

Our scope of work included:

• Communication and coordination with client Traffic Management partners.
• Planing out 2,328t of original carriageway.
• Re-laying the carriageway to depths between 100mm and 200mm inlays with an overlay section at a depth of 100mm.
• Removal and replacement of all ironwork.
• Reinstatement of the footpath.
• Installation of 600m of new kerbing.

Key quantities:

• AC32 HDM Base Course: 130 t
• AC20 HDM Binder Course: 2,000 t
• Hot Rolled Asphalt: 1,900 t

Challenges & successes

This section of the A595 is the main trunk road through West Cumbria and is the main commuter route to the Sellafield nuclear site in West Cumbria, which employs 15,000 people. Constant access to adjacent properties and villages is required for residents in this area, and for operational and construction deliveries and emergency services to the Sellafield nuclear site on a 24/7 basis.

To avoid commuter congestion and to maintain operational Sellafield site traffic flow, a large proportion of the work was completed on night shift between 8.00pm and 6am. Parts of the work required full road closure, with the road reopening each morning to allow commuter traffic to the Sellafield site. During road closures, we operated a convoy system to escort residents safely through the works.

Due to the importance of this route and its vicinity to the Sellafield nuclear site, we maintained constant communication with our client and other contractors to ensure they were kept up to date with the latest progress, to develop contingency plan and to resolve any issues. This also provided the client with an opportunity to discuss any further requirements.

The scheme was successfully delivered on time and to budget.