National Highways and contractor partners Amey and Multevo have successfully trialled a new 'agile approach' to works processing in Area 7, creating efficiencies by integrating ‘corrective’ patching into planned works.
The project trial focused on Multevo's use of its multi-purpose Multehog machine to fix minor problems and more preventative work on the strategic road network, alongside its planned schedule of emergency defect repairs.
The move allowed Multevo to deploy its flexible turnkey solution - covering patch repairs, defect repairs and verge and vegetation management, as well as winter maintenance and flood alleviation pumping - on-site without Amey or National Highways having to plan any further works.
Operatives also assisted with additional support for winter maintenance operations, litter picking and sign cleaning, with transparent reporting across all partners, utilising the cloud-based Multevo App.
National Highways service manager, Simon Phillips, said: 'We are always looking for new and innovative ways to support National Highways’ imperatives of safety, customer service and delivery. The collaboration between National Highways, Amey and Multevo proved effective in all these areas.
'A large benefit we discovered was the flexibility in deployment allowing a more agile approach as new defects presented themselves. Key to this was the close working arrangements between the partners, bringing together the Multevo system along with excellent inspection and planning as well as Traffic Officer support.
'In addition to reducing disruption for drivers and maintaining the safety of our roads, the carbon savings produced in the trial are to be welcomed as we continue our journey to a net zero target.'
The pilot's successful delivery:
- In total 4,500 square metres of carriageway was permanently repaired over the course of 98 shifts. This produced a significant saving of £451,894.18 (43%) and reduced waste by 733.9 tonnes (88%) in comparison to traditional surfacing schemes.
- An average 30% reduction of workforce exposure on the network and reduced requirement for traditional traffic management closures. This resulted in a saving of £294,000 whilst road user disruption greatly benefited from continued traffic flow.
- A collaborative approach to traffic management enabled National Highways Traffic Officers to implement maintained traffic flow without the need for a full closure, which further minimised disruption to road users by close to 50%.
- Productivity and efficiency benefits were also supported with a net carbon saving of 30.2 tonnes, when factoring in less materials used and less carbon-intensive installation of the process.
Josh Sweeney, director of marketing and growth at Multevo, added: 'The Multevo method is a tried and tested solution for local roads and the outcomes from the Area 7 trial confirms this approach can bring about huge benefits on the strategic network too.
'Looking at what has been achieved in just 98 shifts, I am excited to see what we could accomplish together by deploying this methodology over a sustained period.'
