Transport Minister, Danny Kennedy has visited the Lagan Ferrovial Costain (LFC) A8 scheme which is approaching a major milestone in the coming weeks when the new £930,000 Templepatrick Road bridge will open to traffic.
Transport Minister visits award winning A8 scheme Transport Minister, Danny Kennedy has visited the Lagan Ferrovial Costain (LFC) A8 scheme which is approaching a major milestone in the coming weeks when the new £930,000 Templepatrick Road bridge will open to traffic.
To date the scheme has scooped a number of awards including a gold award for occupational safety and health and a second gold award as part of the Considerate Constructors Scheme.
Around £69million has been spent on the scheme so far and it is now 21 months into its 34 month programme.
Work is expected to be completed by spring 2015.
The Minister said: “Construction of this major scheme has been progressing very well with the contractor having completed half of the works equating to one million working hours so far.
“A significant part of the scheme will be the completion of the 56 metre span A57 Templepatrick Road bridge which will have taken 15 months to construct.
“This will be the first of a family of five junctions (bridges) to be constructed on the A8 dualling scheme and it will link the A57 Templepatrick Road to the southern and northern sections of the A8.”
During his visit, the Minister congratulated staff and contractors after they won a number of awards.
There were two gold awards including one from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) for occupational safety and health and a second gold award as part of the Considerate Constructors Scheme as well as the Most Considerate Site Runner Up in the Considerate Constructors Awards 2014.
The site was also nominated Champion Site in Northern Ireland as part of the Health and Safety Executive NI’s Build Health Initiative for best practice in occupational health.
Danny Kennedy said:
"I want to congratulate everyone who has been involved in the A8 scheme and has worked so hard to ensure the project is delivered on time and with as little disruption as possible." "Their efforts have paid off and they should be proud of their achievements in winning so many awards."
Cesar Sierra, Project Manager for Lagan Ferrovial Costain, said:
"We are very proud of these achievements, and believe that it serves as recognition for the hard work and determination that LFC have shown in trying to improve the image of the construction industry, and enhance its own standards".
The A8 scheme, which is part funded by the European Commission under its Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) funding, will also incorporate a new roundabout at Shane’s Hill Road, and a number of new junctions and bridges.
Notes to editors:
- The contract for the A8 Belfast to Larne dual carriageway scheme was awarded to Lagan, Ferrovial, Costian Joint Venture on 31 July 2012
- The completion of the A57 Templepatrick Road Bridge is the first of a family of five grade separated junctions to be constructed on the A8 Dualling scheme.
- The cost of construction of the A57 Templepatrick Road Bridge is approximately £930,000. It is a twenty eight metre span over bridge and has taken fifteen months to construct. Some of the materials used to construct the bridge consist of ten reinforced precast concrete beams and approximately 900m3 of concrete.
- The bridge will open to one-way traffic in the next few days which will enable works to be carried out on the existing A57.
- Awards
- Gold Award in the RoSPA Awards 2014 for Lagan Ferrovial Costain Joint Venture – A8 Belfast to Larne Dualling Lagan Ferrovial Costain Joint Venture – A8 Belfast to Larne Dualling, of Ballyclare, has had its approach to occupational safety and health recognised in an awards scheme run by the safety charity, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) for the second successive year.
- Gold Award and award for the Most Considerate Site Runner Up in the Considerate Constructors Awards 2014 for Lagan Ferrovial Costain Joint Venture – A8 Belfast to Larne Dualling LFC actively promotes registration with the Considerate Constructors scheme and its aims. The Considerate Constructors Scheme’s Annual National Site Awards are given to the highest scoring 10% of sites, which have undergone site visits by the assessors in the previous year. The awards recognise sites’ exceptional standards of consideration towards local neighbourhoods and the general public, the workforce and the environment.
- Nominated Champion Site in Northern Ireland as part of the HSENI’s BuildHealth Initiative DRD Roads Service and Principal Contractor Lagan Ferrovial Costain working on the A8 Belfast to Larne Dualling Project are a nominated Champion Site in Northern Ireland as part of the HSENI’s Build Health Initiative. This initiative facilitates the nomination of Champion Sites by member companies on which the Build Health Management Plan is implemented in collaboration with HSENI allowing each member company to showcase best practice in occupational health on their exemplar sites.
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