Murphy’s enabling works on the M62 Motorway Bridge Replacement Project have continued at pace in recent months, seeing a range of impressive milestones achieved along the way. In the last period, the site team have poured 3 No Trestle Foundations to support the new structure as it is being built off-line in the site compound. The site team also constructed a concrete bell-mouth to create access directly from the M62 Westbound Carriage directly to the site compound. The bell-mouth is approximately 5m wide by 50m long – the large size of bell-mouth was required to enable delivery of the 46m long edge beams and for the future installation of the new bridge structure via SPMT. The haul road for the SMPT has also been completed. Due to the existing ground conditions and heavy weights of the new bridge structure and SPMT – a full highway carriageway specification was installed. But perhaps the most impressive milestone is the fabrication of Murphy’s largest ever Steel Bridge. Colleagues in Ireland completed assembly of the bridge structure in their recently opened fabrication shop in Newbridge, before welcoming members of the project team and client Network Rail for a trial assembly of the new structure. Network Rail were very impressed with both the structure and the new facilities. The two edge beams were then delivered overnight on Sunday 21 July. The edge beams were only permitted to travel overnight at 20mph and, due their size and weight, they were given a full police escort from leaving the fabrication shop in Newbridge to arrival on site in Rochdale via Holyhead Port. Following delivery, colleagues from Ireland have travelled to Rochdale and commenced the assembly of the new bridge structure within the site compound. By the time they are finished, over 5000 bolts will have been installed to fully assemble the bridge structure. Further ongoing works include the mobilisation of a satellite compound to facilitate the Permanent Way works. The compound will be used to build fifteen 18m Track Panels and a new S&C Panel in preparation of the core possession. The core possession is scheduled from 6 to 24 September and will require a full closure of the railway. The road closure will be supplemented by two weekend closures of the M62 Motorway, 6 to 9 and 20 to 23 September. During the first weekend closure, the existing bridge structure will be demolished in-situ and the new bridge structure will be installed via SPMT during the second weekend motorway closure. Night-time motorway closures are also planned during the weekend closures to allow the site team to undertake critical enabling works to the bridge abutments prior to receiving the new bridge. A Pre-Possession Briefing has been organised for the end of August, along with the support from our CDP team, to ensure that all personal involved in the core possession are ‘Fit to Start’ and ensure the works are delivered safely.
Teams from two of our ongoing major station projects, Cambridge South and Beaulieu Park, recently took time out to support their local communities. Cambridge South Station The Cambridge South Station team utilised one of their Giving Back Days to help improve a community recreation ground. Great Bardfield village run a community sports facility for the local area. They had raised enough funds to build a new community pavilion in 2021. However, after a rise in material costs, there was no funding left to complete the works, including the carpark. The area proposed for the car park was overgrown as well as needing to be cleared and levelled in preparation for the carpark to be laid. The team spent the day clearing the site, before bringing in plant machinery to level the surface in preparation for the new parking facility. The team also decided to use the day as a team building opportunity by swapping roles for the day. Project managers became labourers, and operatives became the planners and work supervisors. Kate Fox, from the local community said: “The Murphy team with their invaluable experience and heavy plant equipment achieved incredible progress during their visits. They undertook the tasks with a great attitude, professionalism, determination and dedication, meeting every one of our objectives. We are so grateful to the Cambridge South Station team and pass on our sincere gratitude and thanks to all the employees involved.” Beaulieu Park Station The Beaulieu Park Station team hosted a stand at the Chelmsford Skills Festival, organised by Chelmsford City Council. Over 1,200 secondary school students from across the city attended and the team spoke to them about the variety of career opportunities available within Murphy. The children also got to try their hand at driving a 20-tonne dumper truck across a building site (using a motion-simulator of course!). Speaking after the event, Chris Cayton, Managing Director – Transportation, explained why the team placed such importance on events like this: “It is crucial we encourage the younger generation to enter our industry. These types of events allow our teams to showcase the many opportunities we have to develop a career at Murphy” Murphy staff were also approached by members of the local community who had seen the progress at Beaulieu Park Station and were excited to speak about the station’s construction.
Congratulations to colleagues in our SHES and Transportation teams who were recognised at the Network Rail SHELT awards this week with two wins and a highly commended for their efforts to protect workers and the environment. Our collaborative project with the University of Salford, developing and implementing a Breathe Easy campaign and air sampling/monitoring schedule, took the ‘Physical Health’ award. This initiative tests robust control management of dust and welding fumes in the workplace, to ensure the wellbeing of our frontline workforce and supply chain. In the ‘Railway that Cares for the Environment’ category, The Environmental Visual Standard, a groundbreaking tool, was the day’s winner. This innovative tool uses 3D virtual worksites to provide a series of interactable constraints that should be considered during the stages of the project lifecycle, enhancing understanding and planning of onsite environmental constraints. Finally, colleagues were highly commended in ‘Supply Chain Management’ for their integration of a four stage approach to our Supplier portal, enhancing our delivery model. Well done to all involved for overseeing projects that support our core goal of improving life by delivering world-class infrastructure.
