• Client

    Ringway

  • Services

    Smartraft®, VRS

  • Start Date

    5th July 2021

  • End Date

    5th July 2021

  • Location

    A14 Jct 36 Slip Road

Home » Case studies » A14 Jct 36 Entry Slip Road Smartraft® Repair

The Project

A14 Jct 36 Entry Slip Road

This project was to repair a Vehicle Restraint System, on the near-side verge, at the top of the A1303 slip road to the A14. The barrier had been damaged and needed to be replaced.

Works were carried out with single lane closures with night time restricted hours to ensure the continued flow of traffic during the peak times of day.


A14 Junction 36
A14 Jct 36 Entry Slip Road

The Challenge

Traditionally installed Vehicle Restraint Systems take 2-3 night shifts to complete, allowing 72 hours for concrete to dry and to then be tested for compliance.

Smartraft®, an off-site pre-fabricated, modular concrete foundation has proven results and does not require pre-site ground testing.

Situated on a slip road to the A14 and safety being paramount, the site was to be maintained in a safe condition under temporary works at all times.


The Solution

In this instance we replaced the traditionally installed VRS with Smartraft®, with OBB (Open Box Beam) straight in to an ABC energy absorbing terminal. The P1 ramp down system was upgraded to a P4 terminal.

The new safety barrier was then connected to the existing barrier, completing the installation.

Detailed risk assessments, carefully thought out method statements and extensive planning and programming allowed for the works to be carried out safely, on programme, and without delay to the public road user.


The Result

Arbus successfully repaired the damaged barrier during restrictive hours traffic management from 9.30am to 3.30pm to allow normal traffic flow during peak times.

The installation of Smartraft®, allowed this job to be completed in a fraction of the time that traditional methods would have taken and has been a very successful solution.

This phase of the works now has a fully compliant Vehicle Restraint System.

  • A14 Jct 36 Entry Slip Road Smartraft® VRS Repair
  • Smartraft® A14 Jct 36 Entry Slip Road Damaged VRS 2
  • Smartraft® A14 Jct 36 Entry Slip Road Damaged VRS

Feedback

Back towards the start of the contract I met with Karl Petters (Arbus), who suggested I use his Smartraft® on a particular job further west on the A14 where we were facing ground stability issues along with an extensive network of underground services.

It was the ideal solution.

I was on site throughout the whole installation and was very impressed with what I saw. From removal of existing fence to completion that included “push pull” testing and reinstatement of existing ground levels took just one shift. Coming from a lengthy career in VRS works, this was unheard of.

It’s a remarkable piece of engineering.

Glen Goody, Ringway

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