Lovely Lane, Warrington

Tarmac Contracting were asked to resurface this busy residential street in Warrington which connected the busy A57, the main route into Warrington from the west, with Warrington Hospital and its busy A&E department. Work had been postponed from March 2020 until July 2021 due to the impact of the Covid virus and concerns over disrupting the route to the hospital. The scheme would involve resurfacing the 1km stretch of road from the A57 roundabout to Folley Lane along with minor civils works to improve the pedestrian routes to and from the hospital. It would be vital to maintain access to the hospital for ambulances and NHS key worker staff throughout the scheme. Warrington Borough Council and Tarmac Contracting carried out intensive engagement with stakeholders including NHS staff and local residents to fully understand and accommodate their needs while planning the work. To minimise disruption during the busy daytime period, works would be split into four phases and undertaken between 19.00 and 00.00 Monday to Friday.

Given the complexity and importance of the scheme detailed preparation and communication between the subcontractors was vital on planning, traffic management and completion of road markings. Tarmac worked closely with all sub-contractors to make sure everyone involved was fully briefed. The material specified for this project was a traditional hot rolled asphalt surface course with the addition of pre coated chippings. This material is the clients preferred materials on Warrington’s Key route network. As works were to be undertaken at night in an urban environment, Tarmac proposed using a new quieter chipping machine to reduce noise for the local residents. This choice of chipping machine also reduced haulage requirements and vehicle movements. In line with the project plan, the old road surface was planed out and 1450 tonnes of HRA was supplied and laid as the new road surface. Work was completed in nine weeks in a series of overnight road closures, which ensured access for emergency vehicles and minimised delays for local residents.

During the long delay to this resurfacing work, this road had continued to deteriorate with extensive cracking in the surface course and failing utility reinstatements scarring the road surface. Emergency patched repairs to maintain the surface had become a drain on the budget of the local authority risked ongoing disruption to local residents and road users including emergency workers based at the nearby hospital. This carefully planned scheme and the new high quality hot rolled asphalt surface it delivered, allowed Warrington Borough Council to ‘restart the clock’ on whole life cost and the future asset management of this key route. It represented a long-term solution for this vital transport link and helped break the costly cycle of repeated failure and emergency repairs. Using this approach saved the client around £50k, to use elsewhere on their local road network. The new surface is expected to last around 10-15 years.