Parts of the £120m Lincoln Eastern Bypass, which promises to alleviate traffic in the centre of the famous cathedral city, have been placed under the watchful eye of HBPW.
The 7.5km road, designed to improve the city’s infrastructure, encourage growth and minimise traffic congestion, is due to finish early next summer.
Huge elements of engineering infrastructure are being built by Galliford Try, the firm of contractors brought in after the collapse of Carillion.
But, such is the scale of the mammoth project, that Galliford’s are legally obliged to ensure that mandatory checks of their engineering drawings and calculations – or Category 3 checks – are carried out by a third party, in this instance HBPW.
Partner Jon Livesey said: “The overall scheme has a lead civil engineering designer but, because a number of structures were contractor designed, this created the need for Category 3 checking.
“Galliford Try have been tasked with designing four steel truss footbridges, two reinforced soil walls, two concrete culverts and a pumping station, collectively a small part of the overall £120m scheme, but still a sizeable combination of civil engineering projects.
“Needless to say, they have asked HBPW to carry out the Category 3 checks which involves us independently overviewing the original engineering designs and calculations.”
Jon said that both himself, fellow Partner Tommy Ng and other members of the HBPW team, were involved in the project.
“So-called ‘checking’ is, in many ways, as onerous as leading an engineering project,” added Jon, “because we have to start from scratch, produce our own calculations and ensure that they actively line up with, support and confirm the originals. The process promotes safety and building confidence.”