Engineering Focus

In November 2014 work began on a £200m project to improve the A556 between the M56 and M6. The project involves constructing a new 7.5km 4 lane dual carriageway between the two motorways in order to relieve congestion on this stretch of the road. The A556 is a major trunk road which serves north Cheshire and south Manchester. The section of road also provides a connection between the M6 at junction 19 and M56 at junction 7. The A556 between junction 19 of the M6 and junction 7 of the M56 currently carries 51,000 vehicles per day, 11% of which are HQVs. The road is currently a mixture of single 4-lane carriageway, with sections of dual 2-lane carriageway, along which are several junctions and a number of properties. As a result of this the road is often severely congested, particularly at peak times. And according to the Highways Agency there were 98 incidents along this stretch, including 1 fatality and 13 serious injuries in the period January 2007 to December 2011. The pro...

Plans for a 'TransNorth' rail network as well as road investments will be set out by Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne and Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin today. The Chancellor will announce the first Northern transport strategy produced in conjunction with Transport for the North (TfN) which brings together northern transport authorities. The strategy report will contain a comprehensive transport strategy covering roads, rail, freight, airports and smart ticketing. It is the Government's intention to 'connect up the north' in order to create a single economy, which it is hoped will allow northern towns and cities to pool their strengths in order to create "Northern Powerhouse" Plans set out in the report include: Slashing journey times between major northern cities with investment in high speed rail Developing new east-west road connections including a road tunnel under the peak district Introducing Oyster-style smart travel c...

For the almost 10 years the Irish Sea has been bristling with strange looking vessels with legs rising tens of metres into the air. The vessels known as jack-up rigs were based at the Port of Mostyn in North Wales and Cammell Laird in Birkenhead, Wirral. The large vessels which had been departing the Port of Mostyn for a number of years were laden with components to be used to build some of the largest off-shore wind farms in the UK. The jack-up rigs, as the name implies can jack-up off of the sea bed in order to provide a stable platform from which to construct the wind turbines. Barges departed from Cammell Laird on a regular basis laden with mono-piles and foundations to be used to secure the wind turbines to the sea bed.  Wind turbine towers, hubs and blades which make up the Siemens' 3.6MW turbines were stored and shipped from the Port of Mostyn. The towers were pre-assembled on shore and then shipped to the wind farm for installation.  A number of large win...

Today (05/03/15) was a significant day for commuters from the North West as Northern Rail officially launched electric services between Liverpool and Manchester.  For the majority of commuters it will be just a normal day, they may notice the freshly painted train waiting for them at the platform, they may notice the lack of engine noise and the fresh new interiors. But for the many they will be surprised to find a seat, apart from this their day will go on as normal. For businesses, Northern Rail, transport workers and enthusiasts however this is a momentous day. The culmination of years of hard work by Network Rail, Northern Rail and those who have lobbied for electrification over the years. The electrification of the line between Liverpool and Manchester, and the introduction of new electric trains is just the start of a programme of electrification which will benefit millions of commuters across the region as other lines go live.  Liverpool, Wigan, Preston and Bl...