Rugby Radio

The Rugby Radio link road is a crucial connection for a new 6,200 home development at Houlton to the town of Rugby.

The new 2.5km road serves a 1,200-acre urban extension at Houlton which will eventually comprise 6,200 new homes, three primary schools, a secondary school, a GP health centre as well as employment and open space.

The main feature of the scheme is a bridge over the Oxford Canal consisting of 23 x 55 tonne beams and two 103-tonne beams. Close co-operation was necessary with the Canals & Rivers Trust in order to protect the integrity of the canal.

It required a 500-tonne crane to lift in 88 pre-cast culvert units each weighing up to 28 tonnes to divert the Clifton Brook under the new road. We also created a flood compensation area by shifting 55,000 cubic metres of material to provide a 1 in a 100-year level of flood protection.

Temporary works included the installation of sheet-piled cofferdams by a silent piling rig at five points along the canal to allow for construction of drainage outlets for surface water from the road which runs in parallel. A retention pond was also constructed between the road and canal so that volumes of water entering the canal during storms can be controlled.

Close liaison was required with the two main clients: the developer, Urban & Civic, as well as Warwickshire County Council for the 278 works. The council contract was procured through the  Midlands Highways Alliance framework.