Project challenge

Lanes Group plc supported Highways England’s main contractor, Costain, in the development of a new 4.5-mile section of the A556 trunk road between Knutsford and Bowdon.

The £192 million road runs from Junction 19 of the M6 to Junction 7 of the M56, and will allow the current section of road it replaces to be de-trunked.

A key challenge for such a large and long-running project was to coordinate our work with other contractors, and to operate at times that minimised the impact of construction work on road users and residents.

The project

In the first phase of the project, Lanes carried out extensive CCTV drainage surveys of the existing drainage system along the route. This gave Costain the data needed to ensure drainage linkages were designed optimally. During the main construction phase, our engineers carried out CCTV drainage surveys of 30km of new highway surface water drainage pipes.

We also used jetting and vacuumation tankers to desilt current highway drainage pipes, and new ones.

On one occasion, nine jet vac tankers were deployed at the same time to support works as the statutory undertaker, United Utilities, diverted a clean water main. The machines were needed to ensure there was enough capacity to tanker away water while the work was carried out.

Greater productivity
Lanes regularly deployed recycler jet vac tankers on the project. Unlike standard jet vac tankers, recyclers can filter their water, allowing them to stay on station for longer periods, increasing productivity and sustainability.

On several occasions a tracked Terrajet remote jetting hose reel unit was used to access hard-to-reach manholes and drain lines, away from hard stand areas or roads.