Welcome to Warwickshire County Council

2009 News
26 November 2009 St Oswalds Primary School visit the Rugby Western Relief Road Site On 23 November 2009 a presentation on Rugby Western Relief Road was delivered to year 3 pupils at St Oswalds School in their classroom. It covered a brief history of the scheme including the legal process and what factors were considered when deciding upon the route. The road and bridge building process was also discussed and the use of materials such as steel, plastic, timber, tarmac and concrete,. The children each had a turn at mixing concrete by hand, and placing it in a mould. Then on 24 November 2009 the 7/8 year old pupils visited the Rugby Western Relief Road site to learn more about the development, and have a tour of the project so they could see the progress for themselves. Starting at Potfords Dam and then travelling up to Bilton Lane, from where it will go through the town to Parkfield Roundabout. Here the children left the coach and entered a protected area while they were shown various features such as the bridges etc. The children were particularly keen to learn about how we have tempted badgers away from the site using honey coated peanuts, and how we put up special fencing to prevent them from coming back on to the road. They have also been shown newt fencing and as well as the shallow ponds we have dug at a safe distance away from the road, specifically to encourage colonies of newts to become established. Our proposals to plant tens of thousands of trees and shrubs and provide a “Carbon Sink” also met with their approval. The 2 day event provided an ideal opportunity for the pupils to learn about a real project in their very own community.”		Studying the plans Making concrete Being shown the site Group photo
24 August 2009 Carillion Civil Engineering ‘Bridges the Gap’ in Rugby Support services and construction company Carillion is delighted to have completed another major milestone on the Rugby Western Relief Road project for clients Warwickshire County Council. Construction continues apace on the new 6km bypass. This summer, significant successes include the casting of the reinforced concrete bridge deck over the West Coast Main Line at Parkfield Road and the demolition of a brick arch road bridge at the adjacent Bilton Sidings. The deck took five hours to pour during a night time weekend possession of the railway line. The pour required detailed planning and risk management in order to guarantee the tracks being released back to Network Rail on schedule. Carillion Section Engineer Ian Hill said: “To undertake the deck pour safely and efficiently within the short space of time available clearly demonstrates the merits of collaborative working. Warwickshire County Council, Network Rail, Carillion’s site team and supply chain, together with support from CES have pulled together to deliver an excellent result. The diverse needs of all the project stakeholders in terms of safety, quality, programme and cost have been understood and delivered.” The completion of the bridge deck enabled the demolition of Lawford Road bridge, an existing brick arch structure over the railway line at Bilton Sidings. All waste material from the demolition has been recycled and will be used within the works as road construction, thus underlining Warwickshire County Council’s and Carillion’s commitment to sustainable construction. Cllr Alan Cockburn, Warwickshire County Council's Portfolio Holder for the Environment, said: "I'm delighted to see the Parkfield Road bridge over the West Coast Mainline nearing completion. This bridge is critical in allowing work to continue, and the lowering in of the new deck is a major milestone."
8 July 2009 Rugby bridge demolished A landmark feature in Rugby, the Lawford Road disused railway bridge, has successfully been demolished without incident. The bridge was removed as part of the £37m Rugby Western Relief Road project, with work undertaken by Warwickshire County Council’s contractor Carillion. Despite engineers expressing some concerns at the complex nature of the bridge demolition, the operation went successfully and the bridge was demolished ahead of schedule. Pete Bones, a senior engineer specialising in bridge and structural design and working for the county council explained: “The removal of a brick arch bridge is always a complex operation, but I’m pleased to say the bridge was less strong than anticipated, so rather than taking three days the bridge was demolished in a day. “There have been several delays leading up to the removal of the bridge, as numerous unidentified services such as gas, electricity and water have been encountered. All of these have had to be carefully examined and tested to establish whether they are still in use, before being diverted or removed. “Now the bridge and approach embankments have been removed, it allows the junction of the Rugby Western Relief Road with Lawford Road to progress. When complete, this will be the largest signal controlled junction in Warwickshire.” To give people a chance to see the Rugby Western Relief Road taking shape Pete Bones is conducting minibus tours and these can be booked by calling Pete on 01788 513125. They generally take place on a Tuesday morning and last about 1½ hours. Owing to the limited number of spaces available, a first come first served system is operated.		Bridge Before Demolition Demolition Starts Almost Down Bridge Down
6 July 2009 Rugby bridge demolition A landmark feature in Rugby, the Lawford Road disused railway bridge, is to be demolished, with teams moving in on Monday 6 June to start the work. The bridge is being removed as part of the £37m Rugby Western Relief Road project, with work being undertaken by Warwickshire County Council’s contractor Carillion. Engineers have described the removal of the bridge as a ‘complex operation’. Pete Bones, a senior engineer specialising in bridge and structural design and working for the county council explained: “The removal of a brick arch bridge is always a complex operation and this will be no exception. In years gone by, explosives would have been used, but this is not considered an option on health and safety as well as environmental grounds. “It will have to be delicately taken down working from the inside of the arch in a safe manner to avoid the risk of masonry collapsing and causing injury to the workforce and damage to the machinery. “There have been several delays leading up to the removal of the bridge, as numerous unidentified services such as gas, electricity and water have been encountered. All of these have had to be carefully examined and tested to establish whether they are still in use, before being diverted or removed. “Once the bridge and the approach embankments have been removed, it will allow the junction of the Rugby Western Relief Road with Lawford Road to progress. When complete, this will be the largest signal controlled junction in Warwickshire.” The railway bridge was opened in 1851 as part of the LMS Rugby to Leamington Line. Its busiest period was 1922 when 11 trains a day ran in each direction. In 1958 the line closed to passenger traffic, and it was closed to freight in 1965 under the Beeching Plan. However, Rugby Cement did continue to use the Rugby to Long Itchington section to a limited extent for some time after that. Pete continued: “The bridge itself is typical of railway structures of that era. It was built long before there was any motor traffic, and having a severe hump in a bridge was not considered too much of a nuisance, except perhaps by the horses and mules that had to pull their carts up and over the arch. “Since the invention of the motor car and the development of the housing estates in and around Parkfield Road, with this bridge being so close to the junction with Parkfield Road, it has been regarded as a major hazard and inconvenience to road users. This is because the hump severely impaired visibility.” Demolition works get underway on Monday morning and are expected to take two to three days to complete.
24 June 2009 Potfords Dam Traffic Lights Owing to unforeseen problems, it has been neccessary to reinstall full time temporary traffic lights on the A4071 Coventry Road, near Potfords Dam Roundabout. This is creating delays for road users, particularly at peak hours and the County Council would like to apologise for this. It is hoped that these lights will be removed by the beginning of July.
4 June 2009 Illegal access to Parkfield Road There have been several recent incidents involving youths breaking down fencing to illegally gain access to Parkfield Road to take a short cut. It cannot be stressed to much how very dangerous this activity is, as there are very deep open excavations and these fences provide the main protection. The police have been informed and are taking appropriate action but in the meantime, the Contractors and County Council would like to appeal to parents to do whatever they can to discourage their children from trespassing in this manner.
13 May 2009 Changes to Lawford Road Closures There have been concerns raised by some of the local residents and business owners of Rugby regarding the proposed closure of Lawford Road between Simms Flats and Paynes Lane which had been planned for the last two weekends in May. This has led to a change in strategy so that the total closure will now only be required for the 23rd to 25th May. However in order to do this, it will be necessary to employ full time traffic signals throughout the week 18th to 22nd May. Certain delays to the traffic are unavoidable but to minimise these, during peak hours the traffic signals will be controlled manually. The RWRR team would like to apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.
24 February 2009 Bridging the River Avon Massive beams, each measuring about 55m in length, have been delivered and are being positioned across the River Avon as part of the £37m Rugby Western Relief Road project. The delivery meant that a length of the A426 between the Tesco Roundabout and Avon Mill Roundabout had to be closed to northbound traffic for about 15 minutes to allow the beams to come down on the wrong side of the road, as this was the only way they can get round the Avon Mill Roundabout and up Newbold Road. The steel erection on the bridge is now underway, with the first beams being lowered into place. These works will take about two weeks to complete. However, plans to get work underway on the Cawston Bridleway Bridge have unfortunately had to be postponed and this is now likely to begin on Wednesday, March 4.		Crane lowering 55m beam Worker guiding beam into place
16 February 2009 Flooding delays bridge delivery Localised flooding of the River Avon means that the planned delivery of huge bridge beams as part of the £37m Rugby Western Relief Road will not be taking place tomorrow. The 55m long beams were being delivered tomorrow morning and lifting would then begin to span the River Avon, near Avon Valley School in Rugby. However, heavy rain and rising water levels on the River Avon has resulted in tomorrow’s delivery being postponed. Contractors Carillion are now working to arrange a new delivery date and this will be announced shortly. Plans for the Cawston Bridleway Bridge to be lifted into place at about 10am on Wednesday, 25th February, are still in place.
12 February 2009 River Avon Bridge Beams Delivery It has just been confirmed that the large bridge beams for the River Avon Bridge (measuring about 55m) are planned to be delivered to site at 11am on Tuesday, 17th February. This will mean that the length of the A426 between the Tesco Roundabout and Avon Mill Roundabout will be closed to northbound traffic for about 15 minutes to allow the beams to come down on the wrong side of the road, as this is the only way they can get round the Avon Mill Roundabout and up Newbold Road. The steel erection on the bridge will start soon after, and take about 2 weeks to complete.
6 February 2009 Weather Delays Progress of Rugby Western Relief Road The recent grip of wintry weather felt by much of the Midlands has caused some delays to the construction work being carried out on the Relief Road. This has resulted in the date for the delivery and lifting of the bridge beams for the River Avon Bridge being put off for a week. These operations are now planned for the week commencing 16th February, providing there is an improvement in the weather. It is also likely that as a result of the weather, the lift of Cawston Bridleway Bridge, currently planned for February 27th, may have to be postponed. Further information will be made available nearer the time.		Snow On RWRR Site
26 January 2009 A4071 Coventry Road Closed Overnight From 9pm 23rd to 5am 26th January the A4071 Coventry Road was totally closed to traffic to allow work to progress on the construction of a new roundabout with the new Rugby Western Relief Road. As a result of the work going very well, it is now no longer necessary to have the second total closure that had been planned for the 6th to 9th February. This closure has therefore been cancelled. The south sector of the roundabout is now open to traffic in both directions, but owing to its restricted width and an adverse camber for part of its length, temporary traffic lights will remain in place for the time being. However is hoped the lights will be removed towards the end of February by which time the roundabout will be complete except for the final layer course of tarmac. The final course of tarmac will not be laid until late summer when it is hoped that the length of the Relief Road from Potfords Dam to Lawford Road will be finished. A further road closure near Potsford Dam will be required then, but it is expected that this will be for only a matter of hours on a Saturday or Sunday. More details will be published nearer the time. WCC and Carillion are pleased that the travelling public will not be inconvenienced again by another total closure of the A4071, but would like to apologise again for any inconvenience resulting from the closure of last weekend. They would also like to ask the road users to continue to be patient and careful when driving through the roadworks as the temporary running surfaces and the unavoidable adverse cambers can present hazards.		Worker on Potfords Dam Roundabout Closure Lorry and Digger at Potfords Dam Roundabout Closure Closed Road at Potfords Dam Roundabout
13 January 2009 Drivers are ignoring Bilton Lane temporary traffic lights Every day a small number of drivers are ignoring the temporary traffic lights at Bilton Lane where it crosses the construction site of the Relief Road. The lights are there to provide a safe crossing and access for site traffic, much of which is heavy machinery. There is also a mandatory 30 mph speed limit which is also being ignored. It is feared that unless this is stopped it will be just a matter of time before a major accident occurs. Carillion and WCC would like to ask the small minority of road users who ignore the lights and/or speed limit to be patient so as to avoid endangering their own lives, as well as that of their passengers and the workforce employed on the site. The police have been informed and in future they will have a greater presence. They will also be given the details of any vehicle that does endanger life by driving in such a dangerous and antisocial manner.		Drivers are ignoring temporary traffic lights at Bilton Lane
13 January 2009 Considerate Constructors Report The Rugby Western Relief Road site was inspected again on 8th December 2008, by an independent inspector from the Considerate Constructors Scheme. The report gave Carillion extremely high marks scoring 37.5 out of 40, with the Considerate, Environment and Safe sections gaining 5 out of 5. Sites scoring more than 35 are considered for national awards. In May 2008 the site was awarded36/40. In conclusion the report stated that ‘Great attention has been made to keep the public fully aware of the progress on site with over 16 thousand “hits” being made on the web by the public and trips around the works being arranged. Measures have been taken to ensure movement of plant on the site is controlled’. Download a copy of the report (PDF - 752 KB) To view the report you will need free Adobe Reader.
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