Project Overview

The Sunderland Strategic Transport Corridor (SSTC) is a continuous dual carriageway link between the A19 and city centre. Phase 3 was the critical 2km link between the Northern Spire and the city centre, starting at the southern end of the Northern Spire and continuing underneath the Queen Alexandra Bridge, and onto the city centre and St Mary's Boulevard.

The design of the £70 million scheme considers the land's former use, its geology and gradients, and includes the construction of 1.2 miles of retaining walls and structures that are nearly 40ft high. The CKD system specified needed to be able to cost-effectively adapt to the differing neighbourhood characteristics.

Key features of the route include a new western entrance into the Pallion shipyard site, a sweeping curve around the south of the site between retaining walls, a widening of the existing Trimdon Street corridor between the retail and residential areas, shared-use footpath/cycle paths throughout, and the rework of streetscapes at Alliance Place and Carol Street.

Solution

Marshall’s Mono and two-piece Mini Beany low-to-medium density Combined Kerb and Drainage systems were specified over a competitor system, as they offer cost savings in several areas.

The products are manufactured from a more economical mix of concrete and required less surrounding material and less dig out, in part due to their relatively shallow haunch, resulting in faster installation times and fewer vehicle movements. This latter benefit also helped with Marshalls, Esh’s and the city council’s carbon footprinting.

The two-piece design of the E600-classified Mini Beany – comprising a top unit and a base channel - reduces the risk of damage during the installation process. It also allows for a choice of top finishes to complement a wide range of aesthetics, from urban to rural - Standard Grey and Conservation Silver Grey which at SSTC3 was used in environmentally or historically sensitive areas. Mono Beany is manufactured from high strength M-Tech concrete with a recycled PE core and has a loading classification of D400.

Using Marshalls products is believed to have resulted in cost savings of £24,000 in what is Marshalls’ biggest scheme with Esh to date.

Client comments

Esh Civils site agent Graham Marshall said: “The pandemic was a major factor for us, with material shortages becoming apparent mid-2020 but we had no issues I can remember with material supply from Marshalls and any extra or missing kerbs (which were minimal) were supplied quickly."

"Marshalls were excellent in terms of service during a busy period of work and with the pandemic in full swing. We appreciated their help, both on deliveries in terms of timescales, but also with missing materials and additional requirements due to design changes mid-construction.”

“Mono Beany was quick and easy to install, the Mini being slightly slower due to the additional step in installation with it being two separate pieces. They are solid products and we had excellent service from the Marshalls team in terms of logistics, sales and tech support.”