he project began in spring 2012 and was designed to reduce congestion, particularly at peak intervals, and improve traffic flows for up to 35,000 vehicles using the road each day. As well as the installation of a section 1.5km of dual carriageway Jackson also reconfigured four roundabouts and constructed lengths of new footpath/ cycleway.Construction began in Spring 2012, and was unfortunately dogged by poor weather conditions throughout both the Summer and Winter months. Despite the bad weather, the project was completed without delay.

Mr McLoughlin said: "First and foremost I'd like to congratulate Jackson for doing such a great job. Schemes like this were part of the case I made to the Chancellor for the local pinch-point funding, which is £70m this year, and £100m next year. They can be delivered very quickly, and make a huge impact, so for a £10m total spend here, we've improved one of the key traffic arteries in this area.

"These types of programmes show the Government's commitment to improving people's lives and giving our regional economies a real boost."

Adam Tuke, Contracts Director at Jackson Civil Engineering said: "We are really proud to have delivered this scheme on time, despite battling with the weather over the past 12 months. It's also reassuring to hear that the  Government is taking investment in the UK's infrastructure seriously, not only because it boosts local economies, but also because it provides a boost to the construction industry in these difficult economic times."

The site team includes (from left): Craig Chatham (General Operative), Ben Burnham (General Operative), Ian Maudsley (Senior Engineer), Craig Hardy (Project Manager), Kevin Chatham (General Foreman), Sam Blewett (Industrial Placement), and Paul Baldwyn (Senior Engineer)

Pupils from Year 5 were then split into two groups; one half taking part in an art competition, and the other half carrying out an engineering challenge. The engineering challenge involved designing and building a model aqueduct out of plastic sheets, dowel and string, to supply a town with drinking water following an earthquake which had cut off the town's supply. The aim of the challenge was to give the pupils an awareness of engineering, and teach them about basic engineering principles.

Mary Nicholls, Head Teacher said: ‘We are very grateful to Jackson and the Environment Agency for working with our school yesterday. The children came away with two very clear messages; They know about health and safety issues around construction sites and also about the important role of civil engineering. We all enjoyed meeting the builder, Ivor Goodsite!’

Engineers from Jackson often visit schools in the areas close to projects to teach children about Civil Engineering. Steve Balliston, Regional Engineer said: “We think it’s really important to get involved with local schools to educate the engineers of the future. The UK currently has a shortage of engineers so by educating and encouraging students early on, we hope to inspire them to consider engineering as a career.”

For more information about our work with schools, or to request a visit please send an email to enquiries@jackson-civils.co.uk

The project programme is 22 weeks, however, the majority of the work will be carried out under a 10 week road closure. Regional Manager Andy Burton explains: "It's quite unusual for a council to grant a full road closure for this amount of time on a busy junction, however, we both felt that it would be the safest way to do things both for our workforce and the general public."

The team, which could include up to 30 people at peak times, will be working seven days a week to get the job done. The road closure has reduced the project programme quite significantly and the team hopes to get the majority of the work completed before the road re-opens in mid May.

The wall plays a vital role, not only in keeping the channel open and thus supporting the multi-million pound economy that relies on Rye Harbour, but also by protecting the adjacent nature reserve which is a SSSI, Special Protection Area and proposed Ramsar site. An inspection of the wall in 2011 revealed it was in a very poor state, so the decision was taken to fast-track the scheme. Due to the urgent nature of the works, the team devised a reduced project programme which involved running the design and construction phases concurrently to save time. Construction of the new 1.5km sheet piled wall began in January 2012, four months after the project's inception, and was completed in December.

Throughout the project the team worked hard to drive down costs, but significant savings were made on two main aspects; the sheet piles, which accounted for almost a third of the entire project cost, and the haul road.

An impressive 4,625 tonnes of sheet piles were required for this project, but by testing the market, the team was able to negotiate a reduction of £100 per tonne with the Environment Agency's sheet pile supplier, which resulted in a saving of £500k. Furthermore, instead of having them shipped to the pile supplier's depot in Shoreham, and then transported to site via road, the team managed to negotiate and get the piles sailed directly to Rye Harbour, where they could be unloaded onto the wharf, thus greatly reducing vehicle movements in Rye, and also reducing CO2.

An extensive temporary access track also had to be constructed over the existing dilapidated access track along the length of the wall to provide a working platform for the construction plant. By negotiating with the materials supplier, the team was able to hire 15,000 tonnes of type 1 fill material to use on the access track, which could be retuned to the supplier at the end of the job, which saved £100k and drastically reduced the amount of waste.

By engaging with the supply chain and working together, the Rye project team achieved significant savings on the project's programme and budget.