Octavius has been awarded a prominent road reconstruction and resurfacing contract by Cambridgeshire County Council, addressing infrastructure challenges across four key locations.
- The project, completed under the Eastern Highways Alliance Framework, targets improvements in Church Road, Leverington; the A10 Lynn Road, Littleport; B1100 Padgetts Road, Christchurch; and Benwick Road, Whittlesey.
- The Fenland area’s unique peat landscape presents significant engineering challenges due to its tendency to move based on water content, posing risks for road longevity and safety.
- Octavius’ approach involves innovative recycling methods to enhance road resilience by using processed road planings as a flexible subbase.
- The company’s vast experience through previous similar projects has informed their current solution strategies, incorporating lessons learned to improve outcomes.
Octavius, a key player in infrastructure development, has recently been entrusted with a complex road reconstruction and resurfacing scheme by Cambridgeshire County Council. This contract, which involves substantial improvements across four strategic locations, was awarded under the Eastern Highways Alliance (EHA) Framework. The targeted sites, specifically Church Road in Leverington, the A10 Lynn Road in Littleport, B1100 Padgetts Road in Christchurch, and Benwick Road in Whittlesey, are set to benefit from enhanced road durability and safety.
The geological composition of the Fenland area, characterized chiefly by its underlying peat layer, poses unique challenges for construction. This peat, behaving much like a sponge, shifts with variations in its water content and ground moisture levels. Such movements can cause undulating road surfaces, presenting both maintenance challenges and safety hazards for road users. Addressing these specific issues is central to the objectives of the awarded contract.
Jon Millar, the highways framework manager at Octavius, noted the project as part of the fourth Fen Roads Reconstruction Package under Cambridgeshire County Council. Millar highlighted that Octavius’ proposed solutions and methodologies are a direct result of insights and lessons garnered from their previous project cycles. These innovative approaches are designed to tackle the existing challenges effectively through tried-and-tested methodologies.
Among these solutions is an advanced recycling system developed by the local authority in conjunction with Octavius. During roadworks, existing road planings are processed and repurposed to create a robust, flexible subbase. This subbase incorporates a strengthening geogrid, ensuring a resilient structure on which the final road surface can be laid. This process not only optimises materials used but also fortifies the road infrastructure against environmental factors.
Octavius, which was renamed from Osborne Infrastructure after its acquisition by private equity firm Sullivan Street Partners in April 2022, continues to exhibit robust project management despite its former parent company’s financial difficulties. This ongoing project underscores the firm’s commitment to leveraging past experiences to address current engineering challenges.
This initiative represents a significant stride towards improving the resilience and safety of road networks in the Fenland region.
