Albert Road is a busy thoroughfare, leading to Hastings’ seafront and a three-way junction with the East Sussex town’s even busier Grand Parade. Work to upgrade the junction was an exemplar of swift mobilisation and efficient delivery.
Authorisation to proceed was made on 13 January, with completion necessary in less than eight weeks time. For the deadline to be met, every minute of every hour was vital to get ahead. Mobilisation was achieved in seven days, half the typical timeframe, with work commencing within the third week of the new year. At the heart of this achievement was having the right people and strong client relationships.
The project was delivered to improve access to the beach from the town’s main pedestrian area; with the existing single staggered pedestrian crossing on Grand Parade being replaced with traffic light controlled crossings on each approach.
Hastings is a working town as well as resort so, even in winter, the work had to be largely carried out under traffic lights to keep the junction open to accommodate the steady stream of road traffic, cyclists and pedestrians. The central location also meant the team had limited space on site for the storage of plant, materials and welfare.
Through numerous projects in East Sussex, under the East Sussex Highways and Infrastructure Services 2023-2030 agreement, Octavius Regional Civil Engineering built an understanding of what success looked like for client Balfour Beatty Living Places (BBLP). Having this institutional knowledge within the Octavius business meant the Albert Road team was not starting from scratch, something key to meeting the demanding schedule.
The team came to the project already knowing the client’s processes and preferences because, as a self-delivery contractor, Octavius Regional Civil Engineering was able to utilise people with experience from previous Balfour Beatty Living Places projects. As speed was of the essence it was a significant advantage to be able to build a team of people who had previously worked together, understood the induction programme, and knew the accreditation and training standards required by the client, prior to any work commencing. This paid particular dividends with a rigorous client like Balfour Beatty Living Places, who always go well beyond the statutory minimum requirements for induction, training and accreditation.
Octavius Regional Civil Engineering’s strong supply chain relationships were also key to swift mobilisation and delivery. Where possible the company has formed long-term relationships with established suppliers creating a sound, stable and mutually beneficial relationship. At Albert Road these close ties meant the call for a swift response was heeded.
Albert Road is a milestone for Octavius Regional Civil Engineering, the first major project with Balfour Beatty Living Places in East Sussex. The team began to build a reputation through a host of successful smaller projects. Earning client confidence in the ability to deliver helped position the team as a credible bidder in the tender process for projects of greater magnitude, such as Albert Road and subsequently in Eastbourne.
In addition to the original scope, above, the contract was extended as work progressed to include more surfacing activity and high friction surfacing. Additionally, Octavius’ remit encompass support for digital infrastructure company Telent and BBLP’s streetlighting teams, both of which were undertaking work in tandem with the junction improvement scheme.
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