In a first for Highways England (HE), Colas has installed a dedicated fixed-base mobile asphalt plant specifically for use in Area 14.
This is the first time ever that a joint venture partnership has provided a dedicated asphalt plant to an HE MAC (Managed Asset Contract).
Until now, Colas has used its high capacity mobile asphalt plants on major projects such as the Rockingham Raceway and recent extension to Birmingham International Airport's main runway and associated rerouting of the A45. The new asphalt plant will be used specifically by the company to produce and supply material for resurfacing and construction work in Area 14 which covers Northumberland, Tyne & Wear, Durham and North Yorkshire.
Construction of the plant, which represents an investment of more than £2.5m including ground-works - began in July at Battleship Wharf, Port of Blyth, Northumberland. The facility is now fully operational and is capable of producing up to 300t of high quality asphalt per hour.
Colas executive director John Thompson says: "It was our decision to establish an asphalt plant in Blyth based on expectations that Highways England had for its supply chain. It needed to increase its resources to meet forecast future demand. Colas will be supplying the majority of material in Area 14."
With planned investment of over £11.3Bn for the modernisation of the strategic road network and maintenance of existing assets through to 2019/20, demand is underpinned by the ever increasing number of vehicles on the roads and – with estimates showing 4M customers every day travelling 85Bn miles per year – it is clear that existing methods of supply and delivery are coming under increasing and sustained pressure.
Deployment of a dedicated plant close to the point of use helps mitigate any uncertainty associated with domestic asphalt supply, with the added benefit that the environmental and social impacts of lorry movements are reduced.
The forecast increase in demand for asphalt also played a part in Colas' decision to mitigate under capacity of raw materials in the UK by importing aggregate by sea. With Blyth docks being adjacent to the site, this underpins the long term capability of uninterrupted delivery.
Quality control is assured by an on-site mobile laboratory which monitors particle size distribution and shape of the imported aggregate as well as the asphalt output from the plant.
Highways England has committed to ensure a more dependable and durable strategic road network that requires less time and money to maintain. In turn it will move to a longer term, more efficient approach to planned maintenance programmes and improving its asset management capability. This can only benefit key partners in the supply chain who, as Colas has already demonstrated, will be able to plan investment decisions with greater confidence.
"˜Collaborative relationships' is a principle through which Highways England seeks to deepen its relationship with its supply chain to deliver outcomes more effectively. Self-delivery of asphalt is likely to be of great interest to the client and for future projects across the strategic road network.
