Bachy Soletanche and Carillion Piling M1 joint venture to implement new health and safety innovation
Leading geotechnical specialists, Bachy Soletanche and Carillion Pilling are currently working on an £18m geotechnical contract as part of carriageway improvements on the M1, junctions 10 – 13, Luton to Milton Keynes. The work is being carried out for the Costain Carillion Joint Venture working on behalf of the Highways Agency.
- Facilitating the conversion of the current hard shoulder to a peak time running lane
- Further junction improvements including 60 improved sign gantries and emergency refuges, over the 25km length
- The work is phased between the three junctions on only one carriageway at a time to avoid disruption
- The project is due to last up to 90 weeks
- 250 750mm diameter CFA (Continuous Flight Auger) gantry piles up to 20m length, with vibrated full length reinforcement cages
- 1600 750mm diameter CFA piles for the contiguous bored pile walls up to 11m long in the emergency refuges
- 22,000 hollow stem and solid bar soil nails to stabilise the new cuttings and embankments, which are between 5m and 12m long
The Piling JV Team said of the works:
“High levels of safety have been paramount with this project due to working close to live traffic and some over-head power lines. This has lead to a number of innovations by the Bachy Soletanche and Carillion Pilling JV, including guarded soil nail rigs with a safe operator platform, improved guarding and auger cleaning for CFA piling, rope access systems, mobile grouting trailers, and a new Geoweb securing system. The new developments ensure work can be completed within the specified time frame with minimised safety risks.”