Winvic Construction has been appointed to deliver the £3m, 3.1km Waterbeach railway station haul road by Greater Cambridge Partnership, marking the company's first project under the Eastern Highways Alliance Framework.
Procured via a competitive mini competition under Lot 1 of the Framework, the Waterbeach scheme will be delivered under an NEC4 Option A contract and forms a ‘key early enabling element' of the wider gateway works connected to the railway station.
While the project will include a ‘significant programme of earthworks', roughly 830 metres of the route will make use of the existing former airfield taxiway as a foundation. In addition to this, a further 2.3km of new carriageway is expected to be constructed across the wider Waterbeach development.
Once finished, the road is expected to comprise a 3.75m-wide single carriageway, passing bays on the farmland section and a 7m-wide single carriageway along the taxiway, with drainage and fencing support throughout.
Alongside the expected earthworks, utilities protection will also be undertaken, with Winvic planning to reuse surplus site-won material for level adjustments, bund creation and ditch excavations.
The site's historical use as a former barracks means there are unexploded ordnance considerations and remote working requirements, as a result the team will operate up to 3km from the main compound.
Rob Cook, managing director for civils and infrastructure at Winvic, said: ‘Securing our first project under the EHA Framework is a significant milestone for Winvic and reflects the strength of our relationship with the Greater Cambridge Partnership, Cambridgeshire County Council and partners across the region. The Waterbeach Station haul road is an important enabling scheme that underpins the long-term growth of the new town and the delivery of critical transport infrastructure.'
Thomas Fitzpatrick, head of programme at the Greater Cambridge Partnership, added: ‘The road is designed to minimise disruption to residents during construction of the new station later in the year. We've got a package of transport projects in Waterbeach – a new travel hub with park and ride facilities, a new busway, and the Waterbeach Greenway. With the new station, we're not only providing another sustainable transport option but also unlocking new housing for local people.'
Managed by Central Bedfordshire Council, the framework was originally advertised as producing potentially £800m-worth of work across 10 local authorities: Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Luton, Norfolk, Peterborough, Southend-on-Sea, Suffolk, and Thurrock.
