Highways England, EM Highways, Aggregate Industries, Chevron, WJ Road Markings and Tripod Crest worked together on the 1,000 Tonne Project on the M5 in Worcestershire earlier this year.

The 1,000 tonne target was actually exceeded by 24 tonnes, with one paver over one shift – but this was just one element of the initiative. In addition to this specific key objective, other significant numbers around the programme include:

Gangs were handling an average of 370 tonnes per shift (against a previous figure of 240 tonnes)
Only 54 night closures against a norm of 72
A 94% improvement in utilisation of paving resource within a typical road closure
The project finished three weeks early – taking two months and one week
A cost saving of £637,737.

Additionally, it is believed that less transverse joints will improve latent quality and that fewer visits to site will reduce CO2 emissions.

Going forward, improvements to the working practices that were a key focus of the 1,000 Tonne Project include longer shifts, faster mobilisation of plant, reduced time lags between planing and paving, having materials delivered in advance and available in greater quantities, and optimising shifts to best effect in terms of productivity.

Tripod Crest managing director Darren Stokes says: “Hitting the 1,000 tonne target was a great achievement. This success was a result of strong leadership, with all those involved working towards a clear objective, and it was refreshing to see everyone contributing their own specialist skills but in a truly integrated way. We were really pleased to be part of such a progressive initiative.”

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