PROJECT OUTLINE

The construction of the £87million A354 Weymouth relief road was commissioned by Dorset County Council, as a way of improving journey times between the areas of Weymouth and Dorchester.

The road also hoped to greatly improve public transport in the area and was reported by Dorset County Council as a way of helping to protect over 2,000 jobs.

PROJECT DELIVERY

Working in partnership with Skanska construction during the ECI stage, Walters was the preferred earthworks subcontractor for the A354 Weymouth relief road project, which consisted of the construction of 7km of new carriageway.

Thanks to the policy of early contractor involvement on the project, Walters was in a position to redesign the highway”s vertical alignment before the excavation stage. This meant that a more balanced cut and fill design was achieved, eliminating unnecessary cost, providing greater efficiency and minimising the roads” visual impingement on the environment.

During the earthworks stage, Walters used a fleet of 40 tonne dump-trucks and 85 tonne excavators. The excavators themselves were GPS-controlled and were used in the production of rolling batter slopes as part of the design strategy, to replicate and blend in with the existing countryside.