The facts
Title: M6
Extension
Client: Carillion
Roads
Location: Cumbria (North East
England)
Services: Highway Design and
Construction
Sector: Transport
Contract Type: Highways Agency
ECI
Project Value: £174m
Start/Completion: 2003 - 2009
The project
Since its first section – the ‘Preston
Bypass’ – was opened by then Prime Minister Harold Macmillan in
1958 to become the first part of the UK’s motorway network, the M6
has been hailed as the "Backbone of Britain", providing a cultural
and economic link between Scotland and England.
Until recently however there has been a small
part ‘missing’ - a six mile gap from Carlisle to Gretna. The
so-called ‘Cumberland Gap’ prevented the M6 from linking up with
Scottish motorways on the other side of the border.
Nevertheless, thanks to a massive £174m
project that has involved a mixture of new road and the upgrade of
the existing A74, as well as two major bridge structures, the M6
gap has now been closed, providing a seamless motorway network
between Glasgow and England’s South Coast.
Capita Symonds’ work on the project began in
2003 when the company was commissioned by contractor Carillion
Roads (working on behalf of client the Highways Agency) to provide
design and construction supervision services on the scheme.
The new motorway can be considered as two
separate sections, each with its own specific challenges. The first
– the southern section - called for the upgrading and widening of
6km of dual two-lane dual carriageway to three-lane motorway
standard. Here we focused on reusing as much of the existing
infrastructure as possible to keep costs down as well as arriving
at a design that minimised the impact on the 45,000 vehicles who
used the existing road each day.
However, it was the creation of 2km of
off-line motorway at the northern end that was to prove
particularly challenging. The team had to stiffen boggy ground to
provide a solid foundation for the 8m high embankment that carries
the road over the West Coast Railway. Of course, although it
initially sounds relatively unremarkable, it becomes something of a
complex engineering feat when you consider the embankment sits on
5700 piles and 18500 band drains, and is within just six metres of
live railway lines that remained open throughout the construction
period.
A number of ecological challenges were
also met - including the relocation of various reptiles
nesting nearby as well as the need to avoid incursions into
adjacent AONB, SSSI, eSAC, Special Protected Area and International
RAMSAR wetland.
By working in partnership with the Highways Agency and Carillion
throughout this huge project, we were able to play a pivotal role
in ensuring that the project was delivered ahead of schedule and
under budget while, perhaps most importantly, minimising disruption
to road users, rail passengers and even the local wildlife.
Awards
- Nominated in the ‘Major Projects’ and ‘The Prime Minister’s
Better Public Building’ categories at the British Construction
Industry Awards (BCIA) 2009
- Highways Agency Major Projects Awards 2008 - 'Cost',
'Target Zero' and 'Road Safety' categories