Overview:
Marlborough Highways worked in partnership with Essex County Council to develop the first section of the Great Waltham to Chelmsford City Centre Cycleway between Broomfield Hospital and Goulton Road as part of the Eastern Highways Alliance (EHA) Framework. The 1.3km path was built using pioneering construction materials, and links the hospital with Chelmer Valley High School, giving cyclists and walkers a safe and attractive route that also connects to the surrounding residential areas.
The Challenge
The Great Waltham to Chelmsford City Centre Cycleway scheme is a 7km cycle route, that when completed, will connect key residential areas to Broomfield Hospital, schools, recreational areas, and Chelmsford City Centre. Combining new paths and improvements to existing cycleways, the route provides an alternative to driving, encouraging people to use their bikes for commuter and leisure trips away from the busy and congested B1008 Main Road. The project is split into four construction sections, the first of which was funded by the South East Local Enterprise Partnership (SELEP). The scheme was delivered via the Eastern Highways Alliance (EHA) Framework, which is a collaboration between local authorities in the East of England, with the remit of reducing project costs and timeframes, by providing an efficient and effective way to procure highways investment.
Marlborough was commissioned with managing the first phase of the scheme in partnership with Essex County Council, to create a new, off-road facility from Goulton Road to Broomfield Hospital. Designed for cycling and walking, the planned route encompassed a mixture of agricultural land and included existing footpaths, with the needs of Chelmer Valley High School pupils and the patients and employees of the hospital taken into consideration. Drainage challenges were addressed during the planning stage, and long-lasting materials were required to complete the surfacing to the required high standard. The path needed to be attractive and well-lit, with access to residential areas, the school, a local church yard, and the hospital needing to be maintained throughout the construction process.
Fact File
Client Essex County Council
Date July – December 2021
Duration 5 months
Value £570,000
Project
- Excavation to formation level
- Specialist rubber surfacing to cycleway
- Culvert and drainage improvements
- New zebra crossings installed
- New street lighting and signage installation
- Installation of new retaining walls and head wall
Team
- 1 full time Project Manager
- 1 full time Supervisor
- 1 Public Liaison Officer
- 1 dedicated Quantity Surveyor
- 15 Marlborough Operatives across all trades
Client savings
- All 15 Operatives live in the local community, with the scheme providing residents with employment opportunities.
- Marlborough’s expert team optimised the original plans, ensuring a robust design that compliments the local environment.
- Advanced heavy duty Bison Steel Edging from the manufacturer Kinely was used, which could be installed much more quickly than traditional materials.
Quote from client
“Marlborough Highways worked with us in constructing a 1.3km cycle track. There were a number of technical difficulties to overcome, and their gifted foreman worked to propose some innovative solutions to the challenges we faced. The result is a facility that the locals are proud of, providing walkers and cyclists with alternative access to the hospital and nearby school. The scheme was a lot of hard work, but well worth it”.
Rob Venables, NEC Project Manager, Essex County Council
The Solution
Working closely with the ECC Project Manager, Marlborough’s expert team collaborated with the scheme’s designers, modifying the plans where necessary and recommending new construction materials that had only just come to market. Before works could begin, it was necessary to liaise with a local landowner, so that a temporary haul road could be built, allowing Marlborough’s vehicles on and off the site, without causing traffic disruption. Then, during the ground preparation on the agricultural land, complex drainage works were carried out, ensuring that the new cycleway would remain robust for many years to come.
There was a need to build several retaining walls where the cycleway ran next to a ditch, to prevent the newly built track from subsiding into it. A soft surfacing material with a high recycled rubber content was chosen for the final finish, making the path both sustainable and supple. Meanwhile, contemporary signage and stylish solar powered lighting was installed, including ground solar studs, giving cyclists and walkers a safe, eco-friendly, and well-lit route. Throughout the process, which included the creation of new crossing points at Chelmer Valley High School, Marlborough’s operatives worked tirelessly to maintain vital public access to the hospital, the school, and the church.
“One of the things I value most is their very collaborative and transparent team culture. It makes a big difference to have a contractor that wants to work closely with us and is supportive and responsive. With Marlborough, I get a team who are attentive, work collaboratively and honestly with me and don’t lose focus on delivering first class communications and compliance.”
“From the design stage, Marlborough has been fundamental in delivering the Broad Lane Square improvements scheme. During the works, not only did the team manage to keep to the programme, but they went the extra mile to ensure attention to detail and came up with innovative solutions to address issues encountered on site. My thanks on behalf of Haringey goes out to Marlborough for their dedication to deliver.”
“Working alongside our Term Service Contractor Marlborough Highways, we successfully completed renovations to the Crowstone Footbridge. The designs were provided by Marlborough, and the work was unique. The scheme was completed to budget and ahead of its programme duration.”
“I would like to thank you and your team for your efforts, the Marlborough crews were professional, courteous, and hard working all day and ensured the event went without a hitch. You and the team were a credit to the company, demonstrating commitment and support to the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham.”
“I just wanted to say what a pleasure it has been to work with Marlborough Highways over the last six months. The quality of work is superb, and there has been some excellent collaboration between Milestone and Marlborough to complete, what at times, has been quite a challenging scheme. I hope to work with Marlborough on another project in the near future.”
“Marlborough worked with us in constructing a 1.3km cycle track. There were a number of technical difficulties to overcome, and their gifted foreman worked to propose some innovative solutions to the challenges we faced. The result is a facility that the locals are proud of, providing walkers and cyclists with alternative access to the hospital and nearby school. The scheme was a lot of hard work, but well worth it.”
“Marlborough attracts people who take care and have pride in their work. Several gangs of Operatives worked tirelessly for six months to reconstruct drainage networks, lay more than 3km of high quality bespoke granite kerbs and granite channels blocks to ensure positive drainage. The technical compliance, attention to detail and level of quality finish along the entire carriageway was exceptional”.
“We saw huge benefits in appointing Marlborough as our full service contractor and we’re impressed – they’ve delivered consistent high quality service and superior quality control across every project. Marlborough, provide us with a ‘one-stop’ shop solution – we get the same quality of service and better control across all aspects of the project.”
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