With the objective to reduce carbon emissions associated with transportation, Highland Spring Group sought to shift their product delivery from road to rail. The ideal location for a freight terminal was identified beside their headquarters and bottling plant in Blackford, which was conveniently situated beside a national railway line.
However, the challenging ground conditions, including peat and marshland, posed a concern for the proposed railway terminal. To address this issue, Luddon Construction, Highland Spring Group’s civils contractor, enlisted the expertise of ATG Group. In partnership, we managed to implement a pioneering solution that required no diverted soil from the site and ensured the successful accomplishment of the project. In essence, we made possible the impossible.
Right from the start, our project management team faced a challenge: the land itself. The freight terminal project required a wide range of facilities, including container storage, vehicle parking, two sidings, a loading facility and a gantry crane to lift the containers onto the train. The working area is approximately 500m long and 60-70m wide.
Initially, the plan involved excavating around 25,000m³ of soft, marshy soil and transporting it off-site to a disposal facility. To reach the desired site level for constructing the concrete base and sidings, an additional 25,000m³ of imported aggregate would be required, resulting in a staggering 5,330 lorry movements, posing environmental challenges.
Tonnes of Material Diverted from Landfill
We tackled this challenge with innovation and sustainability in mind. Rather than opting for the traditional method and disposing of 25.000m3 of unsuitable soil, we introduced a more environmentally friendly solution: soil stabilisation. We created a solid foundation to start the construction process by utilising our innovative techniques and combining the material with imported aggregate.
With extensive sampling and rigorous testing, we confirmed that our in-house soil stabilisation technique was the ideal solution for this site. Over 20 weeks, we carried out an in-situ ground stabilisation programme, significantly reducing the need for off-site disposal. With our cutting-edge technology and in-house expertise, we successfully created a strong base for the freight terminal without removing materials from the site.
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