This major scheme involved the widening of the A558 Daresbury Expressway and the construction of a new 10.17m-wide bridge structure to create a new junction, connecting to a future Redrow housing development of approximately 2,000 homes. Originally scoped as a 12-month, £4.3M contract, the project evolved significantly, with extensive redesigns and additional works extending the duration to two years and increasing the value to approximately £7.5M.
The works included:
- 50,000m³ of excavation and fill to form new embankments and junction alignment.
- Construction of a new link road dropping 20m from the expressway to a greenfield site.
- Building a new bridge to carry westbound traffic and refurbishment of the adjacent existing bridge for eastbound traffic.
- Full highway infrastructure including drainage, swales, attenuation tank, traffic signals, kerbing, ducting, fencing, lighting, white lining, and surfacing.
- Installation of vehicle restraint systems, new parapets, and back wall drainage.
The bridge construction used 600m³ of concrete and 115 tonnes of reinforcement steel. The superstructure features MY3 precast, prestressed beams with an in-situ infill slab, and the abutments and wing walls were cast in-situ for structural continuity.
The project presented several complex challenges. One of the most critical was managing a live 11kV cable that ran directly through the area designated for bridge foundation works. As the cable had to remain live, we developed an innovative temporary solution using slings to suspend the cable safely during construction. This required meticulous planning, redesigns, and rigorous health and safety controls.
Further complications arose from the decision to use site-won material for embankments and fill. While intended to be a sustainable solution, the material caused numerous unforeseen issues that impacted stability and compaction, requiring additional remediation and time.
The steep gradient between the expressway and the greenfield site added another layer of complexity to earthworks and drainage design. Our team worked closely with the client and designers to resolve buildability issues and improve the overall scheme layout, including design input for back wall drainage.
One of the project’s defining elements was our commitment to collaboration, particularly with Redrow. A key condition of our appointment was our willingness to allow Redrow controlled access through our active site so they could begin building show homes. We also created a temporary access from the expressway to assist both our own and Redrow’s operations, minimising delays for all parties.
Maintaining access under the bridge for local residents and businesses was critical. Our team developed a staged construction sequence and temporary works design to ensure 24-hour uninterrupted access throughout the two-year build. The expressway was initially closed for six weeks to allow major earthworks, with all subsequent expressway works (e.g. surfacing, bridge tie-ins) conducted during night closures to minimise disruption.
Now complete, the scheme delivers vital connectivity to support new housing in the Daresbury area. Despite challenges, the project stands as a testament to our collaborative working, valued engineering and proactive stakeholder engagement as new residents are now benefiting from safe, direct access to their homes via the upgraded expressway junction.
