Client:
Partners/Contractors:
Completion:
HW10669 A57 Worksop – Shireoaks Common Roundabout Junction Improvement
Bassetlaw District Council
Via Consultancy, Via Operations, Via Commercial, Via Network Management
Subcontractors: Traffic Management – Traffic and Safety Management LTD
Earthworks – Laffran LTD
May 2019
The Objective
The project is to deliver a new 5th access arm to the Shireoaks Common site from the existing A57 / Gateford Road / Woodsetts Roundabout in Worksop. This will unlock a key employment site for development as identified in the Core Strategy for Worksop. The development site is one of the two main allocations in the area and is vital to deliver the job opportunities required to support the predicted future housing growth. The new access will also help to reduce the timescale for the delivery of the development and demonstrate commitment to the delivery of the wider site, which is estimated will create 915 jobs.
The existing roundabout is of strategic importance to Worksop and was included in the Bassetlaw Transport Study. As part of the project to provide a 5th access arm, the scope of works includes partial signalisation that provides positive control of the approaches and requires less geometric changes to the existing roundabout. Also, pedestrian routes to the site will be improved with the introduction of a new signalised pedestrian crossing. The changes collectively will enable the junction to continue operating satisfactorily when taking account of all potential developments in the Worksop area (including the Shireoaks development) and general background traffic growth.
The Challenge
Funding requirements dictated the detailed design, approval of the business case, procurement and construction needed be started to achieve a set level of spend (£1.1 million) within the 2018/19 financial year.
To secure the funding, approvals were required from Sheffield City Region (SCR), Local Enterprise Partnership and Bassetlaw District Council (BDC). The timings of these, were after the dates required by the Project Team to commence the detailed design to achieve the programme.
The funders required confidence that the programme was deliverable to enable the full business case submissions to progress and be considered.
A feasibility study had been previously completed, and another challenge was to take this forward and provide a solution that complied with all relevant design standards, met the requirements of Nottinghamshire County Council (NCC) as Local Highway Authority and the developer of the Shireoaks Common site and minimised land requirement.
Had the all or part of the SCR investment not been secured, the project would be reliant upon developers committing private investment and delaying the commencement and subsequent delivery of the early phases. This would reduce the scope of the proposed improvement and would not address all the identified issues and to cover all the planned growth within Worksop.
Our Solution
The objective was met by adopting a collaborative approach and building upon existing relationships between BDC and NCC. This required commitment from BDC to provide the financial assurances that enabled the design and planning to commence in advance of securing the full business case approvals from SCR.
Early discussions between all parties including the developer ensured that the preferred scheme layout was identified and agreed at an early stage enabling the detailed design to be progressed without further option appraisals.
The teckal status of Via enabled BDC to commission the services through NCC as a public sector partner with Via offering both a design and construction service. This reduced time in the programme and removed the requirement for a separate procurement exercise to secure a contractor to undertake the construction works. The multi-disciplinary teams at Via enabled the design to be undertake inhouse and utilise the construction team expertise early in the process to ensure the project was deliverable. The Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) included regular meetings to discuss key construction activities around traffic management, statutory undertakers’ apparatus and identified work that could be undertaken early with minimum lead in times to achieve spend and time on the programme.
As Via are undertaking the works on behalf of NCC it also meant a Section 278 agreement was not needed removing the requirement to undertake technical approvals, securing the legal agreement and bond payments saving time and cost.
Budget
Total project budget of £1.781million includes design fees of £72,000 funded through a SCR contribution of £1.150million with a requirement to spend this allocation within the 2018/19 financial year and the balance of £631,000 is funded from Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) monies. The CIL monies is collected through BDC who have also underwritten the risk of overspend on the programme and this element can be expended in 2019/20.
Timings
Feasibility work on junction options was undertaken in 2017/18, but the scheme developed for construction during 2018/19. Key timings includes:
July to September 2018 – Preliminary Processes and Design
October to December 2018 – Detailed Design
November to December 2018 – Advanced Site Works
January 2019 – May 2019 – Construction of Highway Works
Via achieved these dates by adopting a collaborative and flexible approach between designers, operations and roadworks coordination staff that enabled works to commence
on site whilst the design was still in progress. As a result, the project has achieved the client’s spending targets.