Overview:
Papworth Everard is a large historic village in south Cambridgeshire, with substantial light industry and a bustling community. To the south-east is neighbouring Cambourne, a new and rapidly growing settlement, comprising three villages close to Bourn Airfield. In partnership with Milestone Infrastructure, Cambridgeshire County Council and National Highways, Marlborough Highways project managed the construction of a new equestrian, foot, and cycleway scheme, linking both communities with a designated route.
The Challenge
The beautiful Cambridgeshire countryside in and around Papworth Everard has long been popular with walkers, cyclists, and horse riders. As nearby Cambourne has grown rapidly since the 1990’s, calls for an attractive and safe equestrian, foot and cycleway linking the two areas have been growing louder. Funded by Cambridgeshire County Council and National Highways, the long-awaited designs for such a scheme were given approval in 2021 and after a competitive bid process, the council’s contractors, Milestone Infrastructure, selected Marlborough Highways to fully project manage the works.
The scheme involved working to a strict timeframe, and disruption to residents and local businesses had to be kept to a minimum. Sustainable working practices were required throughout, and the completed project had to complement the natural environment, both with the materials used and in the aesthetic look. The new two-way cycleway needed to be set back from the busy A1198 carriageway by at least half a metre to improve user safety, and the path had to be no less than 2.5 metres wide at any point. There was a requirement to install new fibre optic ducting throughout the length of the path, and sections of contaminated ground had to be considered during construction. Works would also need to be made to three existing culverts during the process, ensuring that good drainage could be maintained, and that the integrity of the pathway would remain robust for many years to come.
The Solution
Liaising closely with Milestone Infrastructure and Cambridgeshire County Council throughout, the highly skilled Marlborough team implemented, and where necessary, adjusted the scheme designs, to ensure that the project was completed in a cost-effective and timely manner.
A lane closure on the A1198 carriageway was required so that works could be carried out safely. Marlborough worked with local stakeholders to ensure that traffic disruption was kept to a minimum, with site vehicles brought in and out during quieter periods, allowing for the ongoing flow of commuter traffic even during busier hours. What’s more, specialist light-weight machinery was used when installing the asphalt, meaning fewer lorries were needed on site.
During works to the culverts, new parapets and wingwalls had to be installed and there was the need for some steel reinforcement. Meanwhile, the contaminated ground on the site of a former carriageway was quickly cleared and the offensive material was disposed of in an environmentally friendly manner.
The new equestrian, foot, and cycleway, which is 3.5 metres wide, is now proving hugely popular with the residents of Papworth Everard and Cambourne. The project was completed to time, to budget and to the highest standards, with the works causing minimum disruption to the community and to the natural environment.
Fact File
Client Milestone Infrastructure
Date October 2021 – April 2022
Duration 6 months
Value £750,000
Project
- Excavation of existing verge to formation level
- Creation of 3.5 metre wide tarmac path with the use of high-quality 6mm DBM
- Installation of 1,200 linear metres of half battered curbs and new edging curbs
- The laying of 1,200 metres of new fibre optic ducting with 14 new chambers
- Backfill with MOT type 1 up to binder level
- Extension and works to 3 numbered culverts
Team
- 1 full time Project Manager
- 1 full time Supervisor
- 1 dedicated Quantity Surveyor
- 3 Site Foreman
- 14 Marlborough Operatives across all trades
Client savings
- Works completed on time and to budget with minimum disruption caused to residents, businesses, and road users.
- Marlborough placed value engineering and innovation at the heart of the project, using the most cost-effective methods at their disposal, without compromising on quality of product.
- Sustainable working methods were employed throughout, including the use of specialist machinery, which reduced the amount of heavy equipment required on site.
Quote from client
“I just wanted to say what a pleasure it has been to work with Marlborough 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.”
Colin Hill, Schemes Manager, Milestone Infrastructure
“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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