A House of Commons reception hostedby the Rt. Hon. Andrew McKay, MP,has been arranged for 25 March.Together with MPs, members of theHouse of Lords and key industryfigures, the national and technicalpress will also be in attendance.

Entitled Keeping Britain Moving,the main message is that Britpavemembers can provide products andservices that offer long life, goodvalue for money and are safe andenvironmentally acceptable.

This message is also the themecontained in a new CD ROM pack,which will be launched at thereception (see page 5).

The event is an important milestonein Britpave’s development into a truetransport infrastructure group.The Commons reception is anotherexample of our proactive stance inpromoting solutions to many of thecountry’s transport and infrastructureproblems.

ProactivePRESS RELATIONSBritpave has a policy of launching pressreleases not only to publicise its ownactivities, but also to comment pro-activelyas appropriate on matters of nationalconcern. This is part of our policy ofrepositioning Britpave as a transportinfrastructure group rather than the‘concrete roads group’ as we were knownonly a few years ago. Recent press releaseshave included two on the rail industry.

Late last year there was an offer by theJapanese to help restore the reliability of theUK rail network. This received publicity in thenational press and we issued a statementwelcoming this offer. It gave us theopportunity to comment on how concreteslabtrack, in widespread use for over 40years now, has dramatically reducedunplanned maintenance as well ascontributed to the efficient running of theJapanese rail network. Several specialist railmagazines picked up on this and articleshave now been placed with them.

Another opportunity to make the case forslabtrack was afforded by the StrategicRail Authority’s announcement on theshelving of most of their network upgradework because of the spiralling cost oftrack maintenance. Again, the technicalpress has picked up on our propositionthat slabtrack offers a way out of thiscontinuing haemorrhage of resources.(For more see page 3.)

Britpave used the occasion of theTransport Minister's announcement onwidening long stretches of the M1 and M6to highlight the advantages of concretesafety barriers in the widening situation.Often the land freed up in the centralreserve when concrete safety barriers areinstalled means widening can take placewithout requiring extra land take.Our arguments were again taken up bythe technical press.

Newsletter

Diary DatesCommons Reception25 MarchWestminster

Britpave Conference 200329 & 30 SeptemberTortworth Court Hotel,Wooton-under-Edge, Glos(J14 on M5)

Keeping Britain Moving

Typical view on Britain’s roads - industry and lives on hold

Spring 2003 6

1www.britpave.org.uk

2

Britpave has recently funded a study by OveArup and Partners to identify existingresearch into issues related to the safety ofslab track versus ballasted tack, anddetermine areas where further researchcould be of benefit to Britpave in theirpromotion of slabtrack in the UK.

The study found that, although it isgenerally accepted in the rail industry thatslab track provides benefits in terms ofworker safety when compared withtraditional ballasted forms, little research orevidence is available to support this.

The report recommended that a risk-basedstructure is adopted as a framework for thesafety case for slab track. The developed casecould be supported by evidence and researchinto slab track safety. The following areas forfurther work have been identified by Arup:

• The principal strength of slab track that could promote its application as a safer alternative to ballast lies in the reduced on-site maintenance time and risk to workers.

• An analysis of UK track faults, to identify what proportion would be preventable by the use of slab track.

To further both these arguments, the studyrecommended that a case model studyshould be developed, which would use anexisting UK line to illustrate the potentialsafety benefits of slab track installation.

The full report is currently being publishedand will be distributed to members.

CONCRETE SLAB TRACK

ENHANCESWORKER SAFETY

www.britpave.org.uk

Royal Albert Dock

King George V DockEastern Apron

Extension

Work Compound

Runway 28 Hold

London City Airport is being modifiedto increase the frequency of flights.Currently only one aircraft at a timecan operate on the single runway.The modifications will create a holdand turning loop at the eastern endfor up to three aircraft.

Without the hold, aircraft have totaxi the length of the runway, turn andprepare for take off individually.The hold will enable aircraft toperform this operation in sets of three,reducing the time that the runway isused as a taxiway.

The runway lies between two of theLondon docks and space restrictionsmean that the hold bay cannot beconstructed on existing ground.To overcome this the new airfieldpavement is to be constructed as asuspended slab over the King GeorgeV Dock.

Atkins developed the concept designand as Project Manager and CostConsultant invited tenders under adesign and build contract.

Mowlem Civil Engineering and theirdesign consultant Jacobs wereawarded the project in October lastyear. Work has recently commenced onsite with concrete piling and precastactivities.

A precast beam and slabarrangement is used to create thesuspended surface with an in-situconcrete topping as the runningsurface.

The hold is supported by three rowsof piles, at approximately 10 mspacing, with a total of 54 piles, each1 m in diameter. Foundation for thepiles is a clay strata, which liesbeneath the dock bed.

To minimise disturbance all work isundertaken at night and at weekendswhen the airport is closed, under thesupervision of Atkins.

Taxiway links to the existing runwayare to be in Pavement Quality Concretein keeping with the airfield’s existingpavements. Designed for a Boeing717-200, the heaviest aircraft thatcould in theory be certified foroperation at London City Airport, themake-up consists of 300 mm PQC on150 mm dry-lean concrete.

The project follows Atkins successfulEPC contract to extend the runway lastyear and their ongoing termmaintenance contracts with LondonCity Airport.

Future development

In addition to the aircraft hold, theairport has planning permission toextend the apron area to the east ofthe terminal building. This will increasethe aircraft parking at the terminal,allowing the full potential of the holdbay to be utilised.

• For further information contact Jeremy Blades at Atkins on01372 726140, email jeremy.blades@atkinsglobal.com

Increasing CapacityLONDON C ITY IRPORTAat

3www.britpave.org.uk

Britpave is calling for an end to thevicious circle where billions of poundsare being wasted on patching up arailway network that is well past itssell-by date at the expense of investingin improvements and new lines.

Made in a press release, the callfollowed the announcement by theGovernment's Strategic Rail Authoritythat the high cost of simply maintainingthe network means that many of theupgrades that the Government hadpromised would be completed by 2010will now be shelved.

Rail running costs upThe Strategic Rail Authority hasrevealed that the running cost of therail network has risen 50 percent inthe last three years from £6.1 billionin 1999-2000 to £9 billion this year.The high cost of administering andmaintaining the network means thatmany improvement projects will bepostponed or cancelled.

Schemes to increase capacity on theheavily crowded South Central andSouth West train networks have beenput back indefinitely. A £3.5 billion planto modernise the London-Scotland EastCoast main line by 2009 has beenreduced to £800 million worth of minorimprovements. For the second year insuccession SRA has offered no timescaleor completion date for the upgrade ofthe Great Western route or for Crossrail,the South East's other long-standing railcapacity expansion project.

SRA has blamed the higher thanexpected cost of track maintenanceand the wear and tear imposed on thenetwork on increases in the number,weight and speed of trains. Britpavebelieves that this should come as nosurprise when the UK's rail network isbased on a 150 year old ballasted tracksystem. Faster and heavier trains andincreased usage mean that there is anurgent need to take our rail networkout of the 19th century and bring itinto the 21st century.

Maintenance no longer anoptionTrying to maintain the existingnetwork is no longer a real option.Extensive maintenance and ballastreplacement work can only beundertaken during restricted night-time and weekend working. As thelatest report from the Strategic RailAuthority shows, it is a losing battle.

As members know, Britpavechampions the use of concreteslabtrack, which has been successfullyused in Japan for over 40 years and isincreasingly being adopted in the USAand throughout Continental Europe.Britpave is calling for new long-termvision in the UK rather than short-term make-do-and-mend reactions.

Japanese slabtrack approachThe Japanese approach is to mount therail on a precast concrete slab whichrests on a resilient cement asphaltinterlayer which in turn overlays aslipformed concrete base slab. Theresult is the elimination of unplannedmaintenance, high levels ofperformance, accuracy and buildability,and unsurpassed levels of ride, comfortand safety. In addition, the Japanesehave found that the concrete slabtrackinstalled over 40 years ago continues tooffer impressive whole-life cost savings.

This issue of whole-life cost savings isimportant. At first cost, concreteslabtrack is more expensive thanballasted systems. However, theconsiderable benefits of lowmaintenance and minimum disruptionto operations means that in whole-lifeterms both train operators and railproviders soon realise significant long-term cost benefits. In Japan, thebreakeven point for slabtrack has beenfound to be 6 - 10 years compared withequivalent ballast systems.

Britpave’s view is that the proven lowmaintenance, high punctuality and safetylevels of concrete slabtrack proves thatthat there is a way to break the circle ofexcessive but necessary maintenanceexpenditure undertaken to the detrimentof essential capacity improvement.

• For more information see Britpave’s Technical Guidance Note, RL1Slipformed track bed

Call for NEW THINKING onUK’s failing rail network

Concrete slabtrack in use for high speed trains in Japan

Following the theme of theParliamentary Reception held on25 March, the theme of this year’sseminar is how concrete solutions cango some way to help in easingBritain’s transport problems, be theyroad, rail or air.

A strong programme with aninternational flavour is being puttogether, and all the main areas ofBritpave’s activity will be featured on30 September. An invitation has beenextended to Ginny Clarke, ChiefHighways Agency Engineer, to presentthe keynote speech.

This year’s event is being held at anew venue, Tortworth Court inGloucestershire. The hotel isconveniently located at Junction 14 onthe M5 and access by motorway isparticularly easy. This is a newlyopened hotel with excellent leisurefacilities and the management is keento impress us. So we expect aparticularly good dinner andnetworking event on Monday 29followed by a stimulating conferenceon Tuesday 30 September.

Following last year’s procedure, thebooking of accommodation must bemade directly with the hotel (01454263 000) mentioning Britpave to getthe special room rate.

4 www.britpave.org.uk

‘Keeping Britain Moving’– this year’sconference theme

A Golf Day has been arranged for Monday29 September before the Annual Dinnerand Conference. You will be competing forthe magnificent new Britpave Cup, whichhas been generously donated by SIAC UKand Burks Green. Individual winners in2002 were John Donegan and AdrianErwee representing those companies.

The competition will take place over atThornbury Golf Centre, which is a shortdrive from the Tortworth Court Hotel wherethe dinner and seminar are being held. Tee-off times from 10.20 on the 18 hole MainCourse have been reserved. Teams of twowill play a four-ball better-ball competition.

• Any interested members or teams should contact John Donegan of SIAC at john.donegan@siac.co.uk

Britpave Golf Day

This year’s Britpave Conference and Dinner are being held at Tortworth Court, a magnificenthotel set in 30 acres of parkland. Created from a grade II* Victorian mansion, it has a fullrange of leisure facilities, including a golf course just a few miles away (see below).

The Britpave Cup

5www.britpave.org.uk

Keeping up-to-datewithBritpave. . . . . .

Targeted for production in time for theHouse of Commons Reception in mid-March, this new CD ROM makes a strongcase for Britpave’s activities.It demonstrates how many of ourtechniques and products offer sound,long-term value for money and give verylong, virtually maintenance-free service.

If more widely adapted, these solutionswill significantly help reduce congestion bylowering the need for regularmaintenance. In turn, this can meanimproved safety on our roads and railways.These arguments have been wellappreciated by military and civil airfieldclients and operators, but the messages areonly now trickling down to road operators,and are largely unheeded by the railindustry, despite its massive and increasinglyunsustainable maintenance burden.

Using a professional presenter, the firstpart of the CD is an overview of ourproposition. Then, as the viewer is led intothe presentation, the format changes toan interactive series of chapters whichdeal with the four main areas of road, rail,safety barrier and airports.

All members will receive a copy of thismajor presentation and it will also beavailable for downloading from the website.

NOW OUT ON CDFollowing it’s success as a video, Slabtrack,the permanent way is now out on CD-ROM.Contact the Britpave office for a copy.

Britpave’s Technical Guidance Sheet on roller compacted concrete iscomplemented by a video about the new Twelve Quays Project in Birkenhead(see page 8). They both explain the benefits of roller compacted concrete (RCC)and its advantages of speed, ease of construction and cost savings when usedfor hardstandings and running surfaces at distribution centres, containerhandling areas and other similar installations.

The video includes interviews with key players in the Ro-Ro terminal atBirkenhead and gives details of the techniques used in this major new freightfacility linking the North West with Ireland.

ROLLERCOMPACTEDCONCRETE

New CD–ROM‘Keeping Britain

Moving’t t t

New CD–ROM‘Keeping Britain

Moving’

Guidance on recycling concrete pavementsGuidance on recycling concrete pavements

Britpave contributes to internationalsymposium on concrete roadsBritpave contributes to internationalsymposium on concrete roadsThis major international event, held

every four years, is taking place in

Istanbul from 27 to 30 April.

Britpave members have had two papers

accepted. The first, authored by John

Donegan, describes the development of

concrete safety barriers in the U.K.

The second paper, by Peter Metcalf, draws

upon Atkins’ and Fitzpatrick’s experiences

on the M25 at Clacketts Lane. It goes on

to show how concrete in lanes one and

two, the so called truck lanes, offers a

long term cost-effective solution to

maintenance problems in those two lanes

caused by heavy goods vehicles.

David Jones, along with J. P. Christory of

France, has been asked to be a General

Reporter on theme 3 of the conference,

which covers the topics of construction,

maintenance and performance. Their

task will include the review of all papers

in this section, the selection of two to be

presented, and the chairing of the

session.

STOP PRESS...• This Conference has been

postponed for one year.

With the growing pressures to increase recycling, thisnew Technical Guidance Sheet explains how recycledconcrete aggregate from crushed construction,demolitions debris and old concrete roads can beused as the coarse aggregate in cement-bound basesand even in pavement quality concrete layers.

Members will already have received copies of thisnew Guidance Sheet, which is also freely availablefrom the website.

6 www.britpave.org.uk

A fleet of six 19 m3 French Pomier ejector trailers is being used to supply the concreteslipform paving machine that is building the continuously reinforced concretebasecourse for the new M6 Toll. Britain’s first toll motorway is under construction bythe consortium CAMBBA to relieve the motorways north of Birmingham.

The paving team leader is pleased with the new trailers that have twice the capacityand are about 25% more efficient than the old ones. They provide a controlled dischargeonto the paver’s conveyor and, with three axles, they are legal for use on roads.

The trailers are filled with two loads of C40 concrete from Alfred McAlpine’s 7m3

Rex tilting drum batching plant. The loaded trailers are reversed up to the paver’sintegral side-mounted transverse conveyor, which pushes the fully laden tractor andtrailer forward at the same speed as the slipform paver.

A banksman with a remote radio-control unit operates the trailer tailgate andejector mechanism to slowly push the 14m3 of concrete onto the conveyor thatdeposits it across the front of the paver.

• For further information email info@castellan.co.uk

The French Government has intervened inan attempt to rescue plans for a 400-milefreight railway from Liverpool to theChannel Tunnel. Costing some £9 billion, theproposed Central Railway would be fundedentirely by private investors, and would runmainly on little-used or abandoned track.

The trains would pull 55 wagons, eachcarrying a lorry trailer, and the systemcould take 10,000 lorries a day offmotorways, helping relieve Britain’s mostcongested motorways of lorries headingfor the Continent.

Britain had expressed support for thescheme because of its potential for relievingcongesting without costing the taxpayer.But ministers are wavering after a criticalreport from the SRA that said it woulddisrupt the existing network by requiringwork to bridges, tunnels and platforms toaccommodate taller, wider trains.

The French Planning Minister is apparentlyworried that the UK will prevaricate as itdid over the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. TheFrench railways, SNCF, have alreadyapproved the scheme, which could begin in2005, with the first trains running in 2010.

Transport Minister, John Spellar, has nowordered his officials to arrange a meetingbetween the SRA and the private investorsin an attempt to resolve their differences.

News from the industryat home and abroad

Ejector trailers speed up M6 Toll FRANCE URGESPROGRESS WITHFREIGHT RAIL

Turkey loves concrete roadsAlistair Darling, the Transport Secretary, recentlyrevived some motorway and trunk roadwidening schemes that were shelved by JohnPrescott when he was Minister. Widening a 58mile stretch of the M6 in Staffordshire andCheshire, and a length of more than 30 miles ofthe M1 between Leicester and Sheffield areamong the improvements announced recently.

Mr Darling’s endorsement of the schemes,which were already in the roads programmeunder the Tories, is an attempt to breathe lifeback into the government’s 10-year transportplan that is already well behind schedule. Thiscomes following a year when not a single A-road or motorway improvement scheme wascompleted, the first nil return for half a century.

Darling revives road schemes

Speakers from four EU countries gavepresentations at Turkey’s national meeting onconcrete roads organised by the TurkishCement Manufacturers Association.

Britpave was represented by Dan Wills whojoined representatives from Belgium, Franceand Germany at this event held in Ankara andattended by 250 delegates from all over Turkey.

The visitors discussed the ongoing researchinto concrete roads being undertaken in theircountries, and Dan Willis followed with anaccount of CRCP and the composite designcurrently being promoted in the UK.

From the lively question and answer session,it was evident that there was a very genuineinterest in concrete roads in Turkey that ran

from top to bottom of the government.It was very clear that they had taken on boardthe issue of whole-life costing.

The Turkish government has recentlyannounced a 15,000 km road programme thatis designed to improve the general mobility ofthe nation particularly regarding distribution.This assumes great significance in the light ofTurkey’s wish to join the EU coupled with itsability to grow and distribute fruit andvegetables to the European market.

Dan also gave a full account of Britpave and itscurrent activities. This aroused great interest, andrevived the idea of a European-wide network.• For more information about the conference,

contact danwillis@lineone.net

7www.britpave.org.uk

Greener flood control from Japan

A Japanese road contractor iscurrently testing its new patentedconcrete mix for use as ecologicallyfriendly flood control slopes. CalledPermearcon, it is a very porous no-fines mix with 25% air voids. Laid ona slope by the contractor’s GomacoRC Conveyor and SL-450 paver, it isthen covered with soil and plantedwith grass and other vegetation thatgrows through the concrete into thesoil below.

The green cover provides anattractive finish to the flood controlslope. The new porous concrete willreplace the existing precast squarescurrently used to line Japan’s floodprotection slopes.

Other Japanese advances aredescribed in the report of Britpave’svisit to Japan – Lessons from Japan.For a copy contact the Britpave office.

• For more information on green slopes e-mail kkrueger@gomaco.com

Task Group formedNEW FOR SOIL STABIL I SAT IONBrian Heron of McArdle and JonathanSmith of Geofirma are jointly heading upa new Britpave Task Group. Soilstabilisation has, until now, been a part ofthe Environment Task Group, but this is anexciting new market, with potentiallyseveral new members to be gained for theorganisation, so it has been agreed that itshould now be a ‘stand alone’ topic.

With a strong economic andsustainable case already proven overmany contracts, the Stabilisation Group

aims to represent a centre of excellencewithin Britpave and intends to forgelinks with the academic world as well aswith similar groupings internationally.

If you are a supplier, consultingengineer, or contractor or have anyinterest in developing this area of ourbusiness, speak to Brian or Jonathandirect, or contact the Britpave office.

• Telephone Brian Heron on020 8903 2624 or Jonathan Smith on 01787 224532

Slipforming for the M6 TollSpecialist slipform contractor,Extrudakerb, is working on the M6Toll project. Their contributionincludes:• A high vertical concrete barrier

to provide separation of existing M42 Southbound motorway from new M6 Toll Road slip road.

• A reinforced barrier wall, 1400mm/1500mm high, slipformed on top of a reinforced concrete base constructed with conventional formwork.

• Surface water channels, slipformed after barrier construction immediately adjacent to the toe of the barrier base using a single-sided mould.

The cage reinforcement for thebarrier wall was set in advance of theslipform paver and an open-frontedmould was used.

THE AUSTRALIAN CONNECTIONPre-blended cement used for

ROLLER COMPACTEDCONCRETE at Birkenhead

Gatwick in the runningFollowing a High Court ruling that said itwould be ‘unfair and irrational’ not toconsider Gatwick along with other sites, theMinster for Transport, Alistair Darling, has saidthat the best value option for expandingBritain’s airports would be to build two newrunways at Gatwick and one at Heathrow.

This would make Gatwick the busiest airportin the world, and would require improvementsto the infrastructure. The Gatwick Express raillink would be improved and the M23 wouldbe widened between junctions 8 and 10.The A23 south of the airport would berealigned and put in a tunnel.

Mr Darling also said that he had ‘not closed thedoor’ on considering a scheme to put anoffshore airport in the Thames Estuary.

The consultation period will run until the endof June and a White Paper will be publishedby the end of the year.

22nd

Tim Gibbs and David Jones welcome Australian members Brain and Lindsay Kennewell from Perth,Western Australia. Their company, Kerbing West, is the only slipform contractor in the state. They joinedBritpave to keep in touch with technical developments and market opportunities in Europe and elsewhere.

This event, which is held every four years, is taking place in Durban, South Africafrom 19 to 25 October 2003. Organised by PIARC, the World Road Association, theconference is expected to attract some 2000 delegates including ministers and seniorgovernment officials from over 90 countries. The event showcases the work of some20 Technical Committees and is now acknowledged as the leading world event inproviding information on roads and road transport practices in an integratedtransport context. There are also two half-day airfield sessions.

• For further information on the conference visit the website at www.wrc2003.com

World Road Congress, Durban

Gatwick in the running

Amec has constructed parking for 500trailers from roller compacted concrete aspart of their contract to construct thenew ferry facility at 12 Quays inBirkenhead. Here the company is workingon a 28-hectare site to include a berthlarge enough to take two ships at once.The project involved infilling part ofWallasey dock to contain the trailerparking areas.

Castle Cement was asked to supply 6,000tonnes of a blended cement containing72% OPC and 28% PFA (CEM ll/B-V42,5N) for use in the roller compactedconcrete in the external pavement, carparks and thoroughfares for the £27million freight terminal linkingBirkenhead with Ireland.

The cement came from Castle’s specialistplant at Ribblesdale, which first cameinto use in 1987. It uses a continuousprocess, suitable for long-run productionof special blends.

Amec benefited from the convenience ofbeing able to order a ready-blendedproduct, rather than investing inadditional silos. The only request fromCastle as a supplier was for an earlyinvolvement in the supply chain asblended materials have to be plannedinto the production schedule.

• For further information contact stuart.pepper@castlecement.com

For more about roller compactedconcrete, see Britpave’s new TechnicalGuidance Sheet and video on page 5.

8 www.britpave.org.uk

Britpave Newsletter is publishedregularly by Britpave with theaim of keeping members up todate on Association matters,industry developments andmember company news andviews. Please help keep us in thepicture on all of this by sendingus any relevant information thatyou feel may be of interest to the membership.

BritpaveCentury House, Telford AvenueCrowthorne, Berkshire RG45 6YSTel: 01344 725731Fax: 01344 761214E-mail: djones@britpave.org.uk

info@britpave.org.ukWeb: www.britpave.org.uk