New Contract – Crewe
West Street Blend
Having been a little unsure as to where my next contract would be based it seems that I have been settled up in Crewe until further notice.
We are working on the behalf of the local council to help regenerate one of Crewe’s main high streets. The purpose of this contract is to replace all the existing footpaths and kerblines with a patchwork mix of granite paving slabs. The kerblines are mostly being replaced to match the existing lines and levels, with a small exception design to standardise the road width along the street. The granite paving slabs are a little more difficult to place.
With most block paving you work with 1 or 2 block sizes and can get yourself into a rhythm, whichever pattern you are laying. With the granite slabs specified we have 4 colours (proportioned 35%, 30%, 20% & 15%), 2 widths and 4 lengths of slab. These must be placed ‘randomly‘ to create the required blend of paving. This of course has given us a slight headache to sort. Given that the granite has been quarried in China we have a tight wastage policy and each slab counts.
Due to the site being on a public highway we have to keep a close eye on our works with little more than a few cones separating us from Joe Public. Work can be awkward at times, even though the footpath is closed with big red signs at both ends we still get people wandering around us, past cutting equipment and heavy plant. This will only get worse as we progress past shop fronts that we must maintain access to at all times.
Some tidying up of the street furniture, painting the lighting columns and adding some fancy brackets, will help the new benches, cycle stands and bins fit in nicely. Due to Crewe’s railway history we are also placing some decorative nameplates into the footpath. These have been designed with name of steam locomotives previous stationed at Crewe and cost a sizable chunk each.
When all the footpath works have been completed we shall be resurfacing the road to provide a fresh new look to a currently tired looking street.
