Earth Retaining FP McCann Brick Slip Faced ‘L’ Walls Utilised on Devon Transport Improvement Scheme
Project: Morlaix Drive/ Brest Road Transport Improvement Scheme
Client/Developer: Plymouth County Council
Highway Contractor: Southwest Highways Ltd
Products Supplied: Precast Concrete Earth Retaining ‘L’ Wall System with ‘Melon Yellow’ Brick Slip finish to outer face
FP McCann has supplied its brick slip faced ‘L’ Wall earth retention system on a major transport project in Plymouth. Once complete, the Morlaix Drive Access Improvement Scheme will provide access, including by bus, to Derriford Hospital and improve reliability for bus services in the north of the city, complementing the investment Plymouth City Council has already made enlarging the nearby Derriford Hospital Interchange, widening the Marjon Link Road and constructing the newly opened Platinum Parkway.
The scheme includes widening of the existing narrow 300m stretch of single carriageway in Morlaix Drive itself to allow for a constant flow of two-way traffic, including buses and emergency vehicles, together with a new signalised junction at Morlaix Drive and Brest Road and an upgrade of the existing narrow footways to shared pedestrian and cycle paths. The improvements have required the construction of a number of new retaining structures.
Highways infrastructure and civil engineering specialist South West Highways Ltd has been appointed to undertake the works, part of which, is to install an earth retaining walling system, integral to footway widening works on Brest Road. A number of retaining wall options were considered, including a traditional brick-built wall, but after consultation with FP McCann’s design and engineering team who were able to demonstrate the benefits and advantages of utilising an off-site manufactured reinforced precast concrete ‘L’ Wall, this system was chosen. The main function of the wall is to retain a battered grass bank next to a pedestrian footway widened to 2 metres, itself to then allow for the widening of the opposite footway on Brest Road for shared pedestrian and cyclist access to the hospital site.
The 65.8 metres run of earth retaining walling consists of FP McCann’s 1.0m and 1.5m high precast concrete ‘L’ Wall units including corner and mitred sections. Selected to not only provide an important earth retaining barrier, each individual unit has an attractive ‘Melon Yellow’ brick finish to the outer face, designed to complement the natural stone masonry and brick finishes common to the surrounding area.
This method of walling is a simple, fast process and eliminates the need for shuttering and steel propping. Once fixed into position on a concrete foundation slab, soil can be confidently backed up against the ‘L Walls’ as part of the earth embankment remediation works.
The brick slip faced ‘L’ Wall units have been manufactured and delivered from FP McCann’s Byley factory in Cheshire and installed by the South West Highways team.
Commenting on the FP McCann earth retaining ‘L’ Walls in place, Gareth John Project Manager for South West Highways says, “The precast concrete ‘L’ Wall units are a simple, durable and cost efficient means of creating an earth retaining wall. Additionally in the case of this project, the facing of the ‘L’ Wall units with the brick slips is of major importance to the finished appearance of the transport improvement project. The construction of a traditional brick wall would have been both very costly and time consuming.”
FP McCann’s brick slip ‘L’ Walls are available in heights 1.0m to 3.5 m and in lengths 1.0m to 4.0m (height dependant). Standard precast concrete ‘L’ Wall units are available in heights from 4.0m to 6.0m from Byley and units measuring 1.0m to 3.75m from FP McCann’s Lydney and Grantham depots.
For further information on FP McCann’s walling solutions, contact JAMES HODGSON 07753415817 | sales@fpmccann.co.uk
